COMPARISON OF AVERAGE ACT COMPOSITE
For Release April 1
Board of Regents Release 1996 High School Feedback Report
PIERRE-This week the Board of Regents is releasing the Fall 1996 High School Feedback Report. The purpose of the report is to enhance communication between high schools and the public universities, provide high schools with information about their graduates' readiness for post-secondary education, and help universities, high schools, and parents work together to ensure that students are prepared to be productive in college. The first high school feedback report was released in Fall 1995.
Regents Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry said, "Research and experience have shown that students are more successful in college if they have prepared themselves by taking a college preparatory curriculum that includes four years of mathematics, English, and laboratory science. The Board of Regents, through admission standards and this report, are dedicated to increasing the number of students who are prepared to take full advantage of the learning opportunities offered by South Dakota's public universities."
The report contains summary tables showing: the number of students entering baccalaureate and associate degree programs at Regental institutions; the students' average ACT composite score; enrollments in remedial courses including English, mathematics and unduplicated enrollments in degree credit courses; and the number who completed the academic year and their average GPA. South Dakota high schools also receive an individual report on their graduates in South Dakota public universities that includes the graduates' first year performance, compares college performance to the average composite ACT score, and indicates placement in mathematics and English.
The average ACT composite score for the 2,591 South Dakota high school graduates entering regental institutions who took the ACT was 21.68. (Not all of the entering cohort of 2,718 students took the ACT). The average composite ACT score for the 2,521 (97.30%) admitted to baccalaureate degree programs was 21.74, and for the 70 (2.70%) admitted to associate degree programs it was 19.43.
The average for all South Dakota students taking the ACT was 21.68 and the national average was 20.8. The South Dakota average includes students who did not attend a Board of Regents university in Fall 1995 (see chart below).
FALL 1995 HIGH
SCHOOL GRADUATES ENTERING REGENTAL INSTITUTIONS
COMPARISON OF AVERAGE ACT
COMPOSITE
Perry said that, "High school course preparation improves student's composite ACT scores which are a direct indication of a student's likely success in college." The report shows that the average composite ACT score for students taking at least one remedial course was 18.4, while the average score for all students in the study was 21.6.
Comparison of 1994 and 1995 South Dakota high school graduates entering Board of Regents universities reveals some change. There is a slight increase in the average composite ACT score, grade point averages, and in the retention rate. The percentage of students enrolled in degree credit courses declined while the unduplicated remedial enrollment increased (0.84%). The percentage enrolled in English and mathematics remedial courses also increased (see charts below).
1994-1995 COMPARISON OF REMEDIAL ENROLLMENTS
The report also shows that 78 high schools (42%) had no students enrolled in remedial courses in 1995 (a decrease of one since 1994). About 62% of the state's high schools had less than 10% of their students receiving some remedial education in the public universities (see chart below).
1994-1995 COMPARISON OF PERCENT OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN REMEDIAL COURSES BY NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOLS
Some South Dakota high schools offer College Board Advanced Placement (CBAP) courses to students who can then take an exam for credit at a university. CBAP courses may reduce a student's university course-load and enhance their preparation for collegiate study.
GPAs BY COURSE TYPE ENROLLMENT AND CBAP CREDIT - 1995
NOTE: "Degree credit courses" are those counting towards a degree, whereas remedial courses do not count towards degree completion.
The percentage of 1995 South Dakota high school graduates enrolling in remedial courses in the regental institutions (8.94%) is less than that reported nationally. A recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics, Remedial Education at Higher Education Institutions in Fall 1995, indicates that 81% of the public 4-year colleges in the United States offer remedial courses, and 25% of first-time freshmen enroll in them. South Dakota students are consistent with the national pattern of greater enrollments in remedial mathematics than in remedial English. Regental institutions also are among the 60% nationally that select students who need remedial coursework by giving all entering students placement tests. The report concludes that nationally, "There does not appear to be a substantial, consistent upward or downward change in remedial education offerings or enrollments."
Perry went on to add that, "The universities will continue to collaborate with high schools across the state to improve the readiness of high school graduates for higher education. The objectives are to decrease the number of students under-prepared for college, increase the number of students who are prepared to take full advantage of the academic opportunities offered by the universities, and to offer students the greatest access possible to advanced placement opportunities while they are in high school. These partnerships fit perfectly with Governor [William] Janklow's task force on seamless education to improve the relationships between all levels of education in South Dakota in order to provide the best service to students."
If you have questions or would like to receive an executive summary of this report, please contact Lesta Turchen at 605.773.3455 or by electronic mail at lestat@bor.state.sd.us .