Nevada students’ ACT scores drop as participation rises

By Ian Whitaker

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 | 6 a.m.

Last year was the first year every Nevada junior took the ACT college readiness test, and that could have been the reason the scores were so bad.

At least, that’s the conclusion reached by the ACT, who released its analysis of last year’s national scores today.

Across the country, 64 percent of graduating seniors this year took the test in 2015, up 59 percent from the year before. That’s about the only thing that went up, however, as overall scores declined.

Only 38 percent of those tested met three of the benchmarks considered necessary for success in entry-level college courses. That’s down from 40 percent the year before.

“This decline in overall readiness can be explained, in large part, by the addition this year of seven more states that funded the ACT for all 11th graders as part of their statewide testing programs,” the ACT said in a statement.

Nevada was one of those states. The state Board of Education voted in 2014 to make the ACT Nevada’s official college readiness assessment.

Around 32,000 Nevada juniors took the ACT last year, a massive increase from 9,000 the year before. Participation among minorities rose sharply as a result. Among Hispanic and Latino students, participation nearly quadrupled. The same happened for African-American students.

But the state’s scores decreased. Only 11 percent of students met the ACT’s readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science, and the average score of state ACT-takers fell from 21 to 17.7.

In a conference call, Nevada Superintendent Steve Canavero said it was “expected” that the scores would decrease as the test included more minority and low-income students as well as those not planning to go to college. But the reason Nevada continues to see poor performance, he claimed, is because the state often doesn’t put enough value on a college education.

“It’s a culture issue,” Canavero said. “We’ve battled long and hard and continue to struggle with a culture of high expectations and establishing a college-going culture across our state.”

The state does face a unique challenge, with high numbers of students who are still learning to speak English, though states with similar demographics, such as Arizona, posted higher scores than Nevada.

Canavero said he wouldn’t accept the argument that “Nevada is so uniquely different.”

“Poverty, mobility and diversity cannot be an excuse,” he said. “I know that our students can do better and that our state can do better.”

The news isn’t necessarily a negative for the ACT, a major testing company that, despite being a nonprofit organization, makes money selling the test as well as prep materials.

Nevada was one of a handful of states mandating that every junior take the test, a policy that has funneled millions to the company despite the fact that a number of colleges are doing away with policies requiring the tests.

Nevada currently pays the ACT around $2 million a year. The testing company will have made $6 million in total when its contract with the state expires next year.