The ACT itself has provided a great deal of research related to the benefits of the statewide use of the ACT college entrance exam. States including Colorado, Illinois and Michigan have paved the way and provide evidence to support Ohio's switch from the Ohio Graduation Test to the ACT as the state's high school graduation requirement. Benefits include improving student access to college and work, addressing the cost of college remediation, providing program evaluation information, and reducing statewide spending on developing their own assessments.
Resources from ACT
Statewide Administration of the ACT: A Key Component in Improving Student Access to College and Work
The Benefits of Statewide Use of the ACT Test
Incorporating ACT Scores into Your Statewide Assessment
Readiness and Success: Statewide Implementation of EXPLORE and PLAN
Setting Students' Sights on College: Chicago Public Schools
Preparing Oklahoma Students for the Future
EPAS: A System that Works
Do Current State Standards and Assessments Reflect College Readiness?: A Case Study
Improving Students' Readiness for College: Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Illinois District 233
Using EPAS in School Improvement: Illinois Township High School District 214
Education Commission of the States list of state graduation requirements
Additional Coursework Options and Requirements - This database provides 50-state information on state policies related to (1) requiring all students to have an individual graduation plan; (2) early graduation; (3) proficiency-based credit; (4) requiring all students to declare a major or career pathway. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, January 2006).
College-Ready Standards - This database provides 50-state information on state policies requiring all students to (1) complete a college/employer-recommended curriculum and (2) take the ACT or SAT. The database also includes disaggregated college-readiness data from the Manhattan Institute. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, January 2006).
Recent State Policies/Activities: Assessment--College Entrance Exams - Collection from the ECS state policy database.
2005 ACT National and State Scores - The National Score Report section provides 10-year trend data, in both text and interactive charts, on the number of graduating seniors taking the ACT; the national average ACT composite score (both overall and disaggregated by gender); national average scores in English, math, reading and science; and the percent of ACT-tested seniors who reported completing a core curriculum. The page also reports 2005 national average composite scores disaggregated by race. The state average scores section provides details about each state's performance in these areas. According to the site, the number of graduating seniors taking the ACT reached an all-time high in 2005, though the average composite score of 20.9 did not change from 2004. The percentage of ACT-tested seniors reporting having taken a core curriculum dropped to 61.8% in 2005, from a high of 63.6% in 2001. (ACT, Inc., August 2005)
Embedding College Readiness Indicators in High School Curriculum and Assessments - This ECS Policy Brief describes the methods a growing number of states are using to place college readiness indicators in high school coursework and assessments. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, April 2006)
How Much Growth toward College Readiness Is Reasonable to Expect in High School? How much growth in academic achievement typically occurs during high school? Can such growth be accelerated so that more students are ready for college and career when they graduate from high school?
US News article on Ohio