Understanding ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks

Published September 15, 2016

In August, Williamson County Schools announced its ACT results for the graduating Class of 2016. According to the data, 44 percent of the 2016 graduating class scored at or above all four college readiness benchmarks established by ACT. By comparison, the state and national graduating classes scored 20 percent (17 percent for public schools) and 26 percent, respectively.

Anyone not familiar with ACT’s college readiness benchmarks might find 44 percent a less than stellar statistic, but here is what those benchmarks really mean:

In 2005, ACT did an empirical study to determine what minimum score on each subject test would show a high probability of success in first-year, credit-bearing college courses. The study defined “high probability” as having a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher and a 75 percent chance of earning a C or higher in the corresponding courses. ACT revisited the study in 2013, updating the minimum scores based on more current information.

There are many students who achieve a benchmark in one subject but not another. According to the most recent reporting for the 2016 graduating class, 86 percent of WCS graduates achieved at least one of the benchmarks. That is slightly higher than the percentage of WCS graduates who enroll in college right out of high school.

“It is truly impressive for a student to hit not only one but all four college readiness benchmarks,” said WCS Assessment Analyst Kevin Deck. “Nationally, only about a quarter of students who take the ACT achieve this feat each year. In Tennessee – a state where all students take the ACT – 20 percent of the students met all four benchmarks in 2016. When you put all this together, the fact that 44 percent of WCS students met all four is quite remarkable.”