ACT released the 2017 Condition of College and Career Readiness report, based on ACT test results for 2017.

Utah is one of 20 states that allows students to take the ACT at no cost to the student during their junior year. Thus, 42,580 students in the 2016 graduating class have taken the ACT (1,134 more students than 2016). More students than ever took the ACT last year nationwide, 64% of the 2016 US graduating class.

ACT Scores Are a Strong Indicator of College Readiness

Behind GPA, The ACT is the strongest and most used indicators of college readiness across the country. ACT sets college readiness benchmarks, which are indicators of a student’s likelihood of success for entry into college-level courses in the core areas of math, science, reading, and English. Colleges and universities throughout Utah and the country often use the college readiness benchmarks by subject as one way to determine a student’s placement in college courses in math, science, and writing.

Challenges Continue in Utah

Both nationally and in Utah, college readiness levels have remained fairly steady over the past several years among ACT-tested graduates overall.The proportion of graduates showing virtually no readiness for college coursework remained sizable. Among 2017 graduates nationwide, 27 percent met all of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, suggesting 73% are likely to struggle in first-year college coursework in at least one of the four core subject areas. In Utah, the challenge is more acute: 23 percent met all of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, the same as in 2015 and 2016.