Standardized tests, like the American College Test (ACT), are intended to assess how much information students have learned in high school and, by implication, their preparedness for college. However, these tests have faced criticism for being biased against female, minority, and low-income students. Is this criticism warranted, and should we discontinue the use of standardized tests like the ACT?
As a biological psychologist with extensive experience in neuroscience, brain function, learning theory, and cognition, I have also spent 12 years teaching high-school science, math, and ACT prep courses at a large nonprofit tutoring center. This center served students from about a dozen varied high schools, giving me a broad perspective on the test.
To stay current with changes to the ACT and to understand it from my students’ perspectives, I took all the ACTs archived at the center and new versions as they were released. In 2021, approximately 1.3 million students took the ACT, which includes four sections: English, math, reading, and science, plus an optional writing test. The number of correct answers in each section is converted to a scaled score from 1 to 36, with the composite score being the average of the four scaled scores.
Gender Performance on the ACT
Last year, female students had a higher average composite score (20.6) than males (20.3) and outscored males in both English and reading. They virtually tied males in science (20.4 to 20.6) and differed by less than a point in math. Among those who took the most rigorous series of science courses, males and females differed by less than one point in their science scores (23.4 vs. 22.5). Females also outscored males in the optional writing test (19.6 vs. 18.1), and a larger percentage of females met the College Readiness Benchmarks for English and reading. Clearly, the ACT does not discriminate against females.
Racial Performance on the ACT
Students taking the ACT can self-identify by race, although not all do. The average composite scores for the five largest categories, followed by the scores for students who took a rigorous high-school curriculum, are as follows:
- Black: 16.3 (17.9)
- Hispanic/Latino: 18.3 (20.3)
- White: 21.7 (23.3)
- Asian: 24.9 (26.7)
- Two or More Races: 20.6 (22.5)
- No Response: 19.2 (23.7)
Taking a more rigorous high-school curriculum helped everyone. These overall scores are often used to claim that the ACT is racially biased. However, a more complex picture emerges when considering scores in terms of race and self-reported postsecondary aspirations.
For instance, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students who aspire to graduate study or a professional degree had higher composite scores (19.5-22.7) than Asian or White students whose aspirations were to pursue a vocational/technical degree or a two-year college degree (16.9-18.5). Scores increased with higher aspirations across all racial categories, with the largest increase (52 percent) among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Asian students. Hispanic and Black student scores increased 46 and 40 percent, respectively, with the smallest increase (27 percent) among White students.
College Aspirations and ACT Scores
There were also differences between students aspiring to attend two-year versus four-year colleges. The latter had higher composite scores irrespective of their anticipated college major. The biggest differences (7 to 8.7 points) were among students planning to major in engineering, English & foreign languages, ethnic & multidisciplinary studies, and science (biological & physical, computer sciences & math). The smallest differences (1.9 to 2.7 points) and the lowest overall composite scores (16 to 18.7) were among students planning to major in community, family, & personal services; health administration & assisting; and repair, production, & construction.
The Role of Test Prep Courses
One criticism of standardized tests is that only the well-to-do can afford expensive prep courses, suggesting these courses advantage wealthier students. This view is misguided for two reasons.
First, prep courses are not that helpful. Analyzing pre- and post-test scores of 205 students who took the ACT prep course at the tutoring center where I taught revealed an average pre-test score of 22.8 and a post-test score of 23.6. Although mathematically significant, this increase makes no practical difference. Among students who improved, the average improvement was 2.8 points, with a median of 2 points. These modest improvements are typical for test prep courses and cannot, alone, change the trajectory of anyone’s academic career.
Second, test prep materials are available for free through high-school programs or online. While there may be social or circumstantial barriers to accessing these materials, wealth is not one of them. I have never met a high-school student without a smartphone.
Addressing the Criticism of Standardized Tests
Some argue that standardized tests prevent poor, working-class, and minority students from attending elite schools, thereby limiting their potential for success. This is a ruse. Elite schools admit only a small portion of college students and applicants, irrespective of their standardized test scores. Even if every applicant’s ACT score improved by 10 points or the test was eliminated, the probability of admission to an elite school remains low.
Moreover, attending an elite school is neither necessary nor sufficient for success. Many successful individuals attended non-elite colleges and universities. For example, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner went to Denison College; Warren Buffett to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Senator Elizabeth Warren to the University of Houston; Ross Perot Sr. to Texarkana Junior College; and Starbucks CEOs Kevin Johnson and Howard Schultz to New Mexico State-Las Cruces and Northern Michigan University, respectively. Steve Jobs famously dropped out of Reed College. Success is not determined by the prestige of the school.
The Value of the ACT
The ACT is an invaluable diagnostic tool for identifying students needing help preparing for college, a vocation, or adulthood tasks like managing a household budget. Knowing that only 25 percent of students who took the ACT in 2021 met all four College Readiness Benchmarks and that 55 percent were “below proficient” in understanding complex texts is crucial for those who genuinely want to help students succeed.
Is the ACT biased? Yes, but in favor of students who have learned the basic material taught in high school, irrespective of sex, race, or circumstance. Discontinuing the ACT would remove a critical tool for assessing and addressing educational needs, ultimately harming the students we aim to help.
