HONOLULU – A national report released today shows an increase in Hawaii public schools' Class of 2016 graduates meeting college readiness benchmarks. ACT, a research-based non-profit organization, issued The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2016 report, which includes information on students taking the ACT test in every state, including Hawaii.
Hawaii's Class of 2016 public high school graduates meeting ACT's college readiness benchmarks saw these year-over-year changes:
- A 2 percentage point improvement in Mathematics
- A 1 percentage point improvement in English and Science
- Unchanged Reading scores
Approximately 10,525 Hawaii public school graduates in the Class of 2016 took the ACT college preparedness test as juniors. All of Hawaii's public school juniors now take the ACT test as part of a range of recent transformational efforts to increase students' college and career readiness. Learn more about these efforts in an Expectation of College. These efforts have produced strong increases in college enrollment, enrollment in early college programs at the high school level, as well as significant declines in college-level remediation in English and Mathematics.
The ACT results provide students information about their readiness for postsecondary education, a score that they can use for college admissions and placement, and information about how to better prepare for postsecondary education during their senior years. The ACT includes a student survey to gauge their plans for life after high school.
"Eighty percent of 2016 graduates who took the ACT test indicated their desire to earn a two- or four-year college degree, and we are encouraged by steady gains in our students' college preparation and enrollment," said Kathryn Matayoshi, HIDOE Superintendent. "However, we recognize the need for more of our students to be ready for the rigors of work and study after high school."
Over the past three years, Hawaii public school students have seen steady improvements in the individually tested ACT subjects:
- 4 percentage points up in English
- 3 percentage points up each in Mathematics, Reading and Science
While Hawaii's scores have been rising, ACT scores nationwide have shown declines and fluctuating results. Also, not all states administer the ACT to all juniors.
Improvements in the recent ACT scores are a promising reflection of college readiness in Hawaii's public high school graduates. The ACT is one of only two readiness examinations used for U.S. college and university admissions and was taken by approximately 2.09 million 2016 graduates nationwide.
Click here to view The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2016 report.
