ACT scores have dropped to their lowest point in 30 years according to AP News, based on a recent report from the ACT.

According to AP News:

The class of 2022′s average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20. What’s more, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet any of the subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT — showing a decline in preparedness for college-level coursework.

The test scores, made public in a report Wednesday, show 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science and math, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses.

Classical Christian schools don’t focus heavily on standarized tests such as the ACT or SAT, although the scores that result from a classical Christian education are historically higher than average. But for public schools, including charter schools, this is an important benchmark.

This steeper-than-usual drop is at least partially blamed on the public school system’s reaction to the COVID-19 virus.

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