College Preparedness a Major Concern for 11th-Graders

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According to recent test results released by the S.C. Department of Education, less than half of 11th-graders in S.C. are prepared to succeed in college. These results are based on the ACT, which is an aptitude test that’s used to predict how well a student will do in college.  It showed that approximately 89 percent of juniors last year were not ready to succeed in college. 

In a study released Friday by the S.C. Department of Education, only one in nine S.C. 11th-graders are ready to dive into a college course load with success. The purpose of this testing in S.C. is to take steps toward making students more successful in college, and determine how to improve their education.

According to an article from The State, the subjects that the students did worst in were math and science. The article also explains that being prepared for college means having a “50 percent chance of earning a B or higher or a 75 percent chance of scoring a C or higher,” in a student’s first year of college. 

This was the first time that all S.C. juniors took the ACT. They were previously required to take a state high school exit exam, which can’t predict college readiness as accurately as the ACT or SAT.