Alabama ACT scores drop to lowest levels since 2016

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - New numbers show ACT score for the class of 2022 were the lowest since 2016 after the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama said 1.3 million students took the standardized test last year.

Scores have been dropping for at least five years and the pandemic didn’t help those numbers.

ACT tutors and educators say the class of 2022′s junior year was hurt by COVID-19 as virtual learning impacted preparation time and the ability to retain what was learned.

Only 22% of students met all benchmarks of the ACT, that being English, reading, math, and science. 44% met none of the benchmarks.

Those benchmarks are important because they’re supposed to represent “the minimum ACT scores required for students to have a higher probability of success in credit bearing first year college courses,” according to a statement from the ACT.

Ashlee Grove owns a tutoring service. She says the pandemic played a major role in scores dropping, but they’re also seeing the impact of technology on students’ ability to learn and retain information.

“Their reading has really impacted the scores across the entire test, I think more than anything else,” Grove said. “So, is it just COVID or is it also the long-term effects of this age group that have been on digital devices their whole life.”

The good news for students is, in the past few year, many colleges have also decided to waive ACT score for incoming students.

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