A recent survey shows that according to the ACT test, only 23 percent of incoming freshmen will be able to get at least a C in entry level college courses in the four subject areas that the ACT tests on: English, Math, Reading and Science. The statistics are significantly better for AU students.
While the national ACT score for the past year averaged 21.1, the middle 50 percent of AU students admitted this year had scores ranging from 27 to 31, according to the AU admissions office. The scores are based on 36 point scale.
Kathy Schwartz, director of AU’s Academic Support Center, said that AU’s admission standards help ensure that incoming freshmen are prepared. However, this system does not always work perfectly.
“We sometimes hear from faculty that students may not have the writing skills and research experience that they need when they get here,” Schwartz said.
Many AU students also expressed a lack of faith in the standardized test process.
This report by ACT Inc., which distributes the test, comes during a time when the U.S. public school system has been harshly criticized for its lack of funding and programs such as No Child Left Behind, which critics allege puts too much emphasis on out-of-touch test taking, according to The Washington Post and Time Magazine.
Mercedes Berras, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said these tests are rarely an accurate benchmark for performance because they test the amount knowledge a student accumulates in high school but do not take into account pure skill and ability.
“It is very ineffective to really show your skills, so I really don’t believe in them,” Berras said.
Audra Gustin, a graduate student in the School of International Service, had similar thoughts on the topic.
“You can’t tell from the test whether [a student is] going to pass the class,” Gustin said.
Cynthia Johnson, a College Writing instructor, said students having trouble adjusting to university can visit the Academic Support Center for everything from workshops to one-on-one tutoring.
“When making the transition from high school to college, the standards are higher,” Johnson said.
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