According to The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2018, the ACT group's annual report, this year's graduating class performed especially poorly in math, though scores were admittedly dismal in the other categories as well. All in all, American students appear to have been dumbed down to their lowest level yet – and this could just be the beginning.
"The percentage of ACT-tested graduates who met or surpassed the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in math – suggesting they are ready to succeed in a first-year college algebra class – fell to its lowest level since 2004," the report explains.
Only 40 percent of 2018 graduates met this benchmark, the report adds, explaining further that this is "down from a high of 46 percent in 2012."
As for the ACT test as a whole, average scores reportedly reached their lowest level in 20 years at 20.5 on a scale from 1 to 36. Last year the average was 20.7, while back in 2012 it was 21.1 – all of this pointing to a precipitous, year-after-year decline in aptitude.
"The negative trend in math readiness is a red flag for our country, given the growing importance of math and science skills in the increasingly tech-driven U.S. and global job market," stated ACT CEO Marten Roorda.
"It is vital that we turn this trend around for the next generation and make sure students are learning the math skills they need for success in college and career."
For more related news on the decline of American education, check out Collapse.news.
Yo hablo espanol? ACT scores in English drop to lowest levels EVER
As for the other categories on the ACT test, English and science, scores also dropped – particularly in English. While English scores have been down-trending over the past several years, according to the report, they set a new and disturbing record this past year.
"Readiness in English has also been trending down over the past several years, dropping from 64 percent in 2015 to 60 percent this year, the lowest level since the benchmarks were introduced," the report reveals.
"Readiness levels in reading (46 percent) and science (36 percent) were both down one percentage point from last year but are showing no long-term trends either upward or downward. Science remains the subject area in which students are least likely to be prepared for college coursework."
According to Paula Bolyard from PJMedia.com, much of the problem lies with how students are being taught these days. The simultaneous implementation of dumbing-down teaching methods like "common core," for instance, and decreasing college entrance examination scores point to a total failure of "progressive" curriculum to instill in today's students the skills and understanding they need to succeed.
Keep in mind that the ACT is "a curriculum-based achievement test," the purpose of which is to evaluate the skills being taught to students in school. If students aren't performing well on the ACT, in other words, then they're not being taught said skills, nor are they gaining basic academic knowledge and the wherewithal to read, write, solve math problems.
"I think testimony we took during our attempts to eradicate Common Core showed the dumbing down of curriculum, the social justice indoctrination, the emphasis on social-emotional learning, reduced quantity and quality of reading, emphasizing screen time rather than classroom instruction," stated Ohio state Representative Andy Thompson, a well-known Common Core critic.
Common Core, he says, represents the "destruction of proper math," and the curriculum as a whole places "a higher priority on indoctrination than education."
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