College Readiness Declines Post-Pandemic: Expert Insights on ACT Scores and Preparation

Declining College Readiness Post-Pandemic

• 📉 ACT scores have reached historic lows, with only 21% of students meeting all four college readiness benchmarks in 2023.
• ⚠️ Math scores in 2022 saw a significant decline, while reading and science scores remained relatively stable compared to 2018.
• 💡 Experts, including college planning professionals, observe a firsthand decline in students' scores and their ability to perform simple math and reading tasks since the pandemic.

Factors Contributing to the Decline

• 🦠 While the pandemic is correlated with a falling off in learning and demonstrated proficiency, it may also be used as an excuse by students.
• 📱 Distractions, particularly smartphones, and the quality of teaching are also cited as significant issues impacting student readiness.
• 📚 The transition from a structured high school environment to the more open schedule of college presents a time management issue for many students.

Addressing the Preparedness Gap

• 🎯 Parents and students need to take charge and get ahead of the problem, as many don't realize the extent of the issue until they face difficulties in college.
• 🎓 Colleges, including elite institutions like Harvard, are introducing remedial courses, indicating a widespread problem with incoming students' preparedness.
• 💡 The ideal time to start prepping is as early as possible, with 9th grade being a crucial year to assess basic math and reading skills.

Strategies for Improvement

• 📚 Students need to engage in extra work outside of regular school resources, potentially through outside tutoring.
• 📱 The shift towards quick information retrieval via smartphones may be impacting genuine learning and contributing to shorter attention spans, as reflected in changes to the ACT format.
• 🧠 Developing thinking skills through subjects like math is essential, even if direct application isn't immediately apparent.