Falling ACT Scores and the Dumbing Down of America

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-dumbing-down-of-america-act-scores-decline-high-schoolers-college-janet-godwin-11666730469?st=oaqowphuoyigqob
Published: Mar 5, 2023
Author: Staff
Post Date: 2023-03-05 10:03:37 by Horse
Views: 132

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.

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#1: DWornock    To: Horse (#0)

Of course the ACT test scores are going to drop. It is not due or it is only partially due to lower quality schools. Primarily, it is because the percentage of whites and Asians is lower and the percentage of blacks and Hispanics and Latinos is increasing. Blacks have average IQs 15 points below whites and Hispanics have average IQs about 10 points below whites. Therefore, as the percentage of blacks and Hispanics increase, the average test scores will be lower because the average IQ of Americans will be lower.

DWornock posted on 2023-03-05 12:55:04   Reply   Private Reply