The annual National Assessment of Educational Progress scores released this week offered depressing news about student K-8 learning. But the news is also bad for high school seniors, as the results of the 2022 ACT tests used for college admission show.
The national average ACT score for the class of 2022 fell to 19.8 out of 36, down from 20.3 in 2021, according to data released this month by the nonprofit that administers the test. The results deserve more attention than they received at the time.
Those in charge of American education may be inclined to use the pandemic lockdowns as an excuse, and two years of Zoom classes no doubt hurt. But this is the fifth consecutive year that ACT scores have declined, and the first time the average score has dropped below 20 since 1991. English scores fell to 19 out of 36, down from 19.6 last year.