REGENTS REPORT

South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment. Great Future. NO. 51, 09/06/96

Preparation for College

What the ACT Tells About South Dakota High School Seniors

Each year high school juniors and seniors across the country take the ACT college entrance exams. The ACT is just one of many tools South Dakota's universities utilize to ensure that prospective students are ready for the demands of college study. High school guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators can assist students in planning high school courses to ensure that students are ready to attend college. The ACT recently released 1996 results for South Dakota that reports scores, institutional preferences, and planned majors of study.

THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO SOUTH DAKOTA'S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

The South Dakota admission requirements, listed below, are designed to encourage students to prepare for college study while in high school and are the same as what the ACT defines as "Core Coursework" or college preparatory courses (with the exception of Fine Arts and Computer Science). Sixty-three percent South Dakota high school students taking the ACT this year were enrolled in or exceeded the core course requirements. Fifty-nine percent of high school students nationwide taking the ACT this year met the core course requirements.

ACT data for South Dakota and the nation show that students meeting the core course requirements (in English, math, science, & social studies) perform better on the ACT test. For example, compare ACT performance for high school students' meeting the minimum South Dakota course requirements to those not taking the minimum requirements.

SOURCE: The High School Profile Report, ACT

ACT SCORES AND UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCE

SOURCE: Board of Regents

The South Dakota public university admissions requirements are consistent with the core courses identified by ACT, which include the four basic areas of English, math, science, and social studies, that improve student performance on the test. Performance on the ACT is also an indicator of future success at college. When the Board of Regents considered establishing new admissions criteria, it examined ACT composite scores of first-time college freshman and their GPAs at the end of the first year. Of students achieving an 18 composite ACT score, over 55% had first-year college GPAs over 2.0. Seventy-eight percent of student achieving a 22 on the ACT had a first-year college GPA greater than 2.0.

WHAT SOUTH DAKOTA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WANT TO STUDY

An overwhelming number of South Dakota high school students taking the ACT want to study health sciences (22%). This is a broad category which includes veterinary science, medicine, physical therapy, allied health, and nursing. The next popular major was business management (12%), followed by education (10%), engineering (9%), and social sciences (8%). South Dakota students have access to all of these majors of study within the South Dakota system of public higher education.

WHERE SOUTH DAKOTA STUDENTS WANT TO STUDY

South Dakota high school students have consistently identified South Dakota's public universities as their preference for higher education. This year over 75% of South Dakota students taking the ACT picked at least one of South Dakota's public universities in their top six choices for universities and colleges to attend. Nearly half of the students taking the ACT identified one of the six South Dakota public universities as their first choice to attend.

Though composite ACT scores for South Dakota high school students have remained fairly constant for the last three years (around 21.2), the number of students scoring above 22 on the ACT and preferencing one of South Dakota's public universities has increased by about 2% since 1993. These numbers indicate that South Dakota high school students are recognizing the affordable, quality educational opportunities in South Dakota's system of public higher education.

CONCLUSION
Feedback from the ACT shows that the minimum admissions standards for entrance to South Dakota's public universities ensure that students are ready for study at the collegiate level. Most South Dakota students are meeting the course requirements in high school and history shows that students that have completed these requirements consistently perform better on the ACT and better in college. With improved chances for academic success, the student wins in the end.

This document was produced by the South Dakota Board of Regents. For more information, contact Zachary Ainsworth at (605) 773-3455, or Email: zacha@bor.state.sd.us
Return to Table of Regents Reports