ACT STEM Condition

ACT’s Unique Vantage Point

• The ACT Assessment began in 1959

• 57% of the 2014 HS graduating class took the ACT

• Virtually all students will take the ACT in 20 states

• ACT Aspire (grades 3-10) and the ACT (grade 11 & 12) form longitudinal assessment system

• Interests measured through Interest Inventory (over 130 million since the 1970’s)

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From 2010 – 2014: • ACT Tested Grads + 18% • Number of Grads - 2%

Growth in Admission Testing

Dr. Wayne J. Camara Admissions Testing in the US

• In 2014, 57% of high school graduates took the ACT.

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Total National State

National

• Benchmark Attainment

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National

• Benchmark Attainment

ACT STEM Condition • History behind why we did this report, and how it fits as a

follow up to the Condition of College and Career Readiness.

A Commitment to STEM

ACT is uniquely positioned to report on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) progress in the United States in several valuable ways. The first is by assessing and

reporting both Mathematics and Science ability. The

second is our ability through the ACT Interest Inventory on the ACT to determine those students who have either an expressed or measured interest in STEM-related majors or occupations.

This chart depicts ACT College Readiness Benchmark attainment by student interest in STEM majors/occupations, as defined by the National Science Foundation, from the 2010-2012 national ACT-tested graduating classes (N= 1,167,221). ACT developed our STEM classifications in 2013.

ACT’s Unique Vantage Point

• The ACT Assessment began in 1959

• All students will take the ACT in 18 states

• ACT Aspire (grades 3-10) and the ACT (grade 11 & 12) form longitudinal assessment system

• Interests measured through Interest Inventory (over 130 million since the 1970’s)

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ACT STEM Condition

• What makes this report unique?

ACT:

• Refined grouping of STEM majors & occupations

• Documents science & math subject aptitudes

• Identifies both expressed & measured interests in STEM by ACT tested students – what are these?

• Provides data to help guide STEM Councils, employers, and educational leaders

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Creation of STEM Classifications

• Each category has been differentiated by color to emphasize the four classifications:

– Science

– Computer Science and Mathematics

– Medical and Health

– Engineering and Technology

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STEM Classifications • Achievement levels in the STEM classifications • Review data subsets of:

– Proximity to benchmark – Number of benchmarks met – Race/ethnicity – Gender – Educational aspiration – Parents level of education

• Table showing number of students in each category & for each major/occupation within the category

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• Educational Aspirations

• Parents Education Level

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Benchmark Attainment – Gender Comparison

Science Computer Science and Mathematics

Medical and Health Engineering and Technology

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Benchmark Attainment Comparison Expressed and Measured

Science Computer Scicienc

Medical and Health Engineering and Technolo

Science Computer Science and Math

Medical and Health Engineering and Technology

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• Actual numbers of students within the state that fall into the majors/occupations in each category:

• Expressed & measured

• Expressed only

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• Interest in STEM remains high

• Math and Science Achievement Levels Need to Improve

• When Expressed and Measured Interests align, achievement levels are highest

• Female interest in STEM is high

• Interest in teaching STEM subject areas is critically low

• Two additional reports: “Understanding the Underserved Learner” and “The Condition of Future Educators Report”

Major Findings

ACT Profile (http://www.act.org/profile/)

• College and career planning community:

– Free college and career planning self-assessments • Interests

• Values

• Skills

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• STEM majors enter college with higher average test scores and HSGPAs than do their non-STEM peers (Chen, 2009, 2013; Le, Robbins, & Westrick, 2014)

• STEM majors face more rigorous course demands and stricter grading practices (Bridgeman et al., 2008; Goldman et al., 1974; Westrick, 2015).

High Ability Students and High Academic

Standards

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• Calculus appears to be a gatekeeper course in STEM fields (Chen, 2013).

• Among students who complete a core mathematics curriculum, less than a third have at least a 50% probability of earning a grade of B or higher in college Calculus (ACT, 2002).

• Only 37% of first-year STEM majors earn a STEM degree or certificate within six years (Chen, 2009).

Calculus and STEM Attrition

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Students in Quantitative Majors have

High ACT Mathematics Scores

ACT Information Brief 2014-20, Average ACT Mathematics Scores for Quantitative Science Majors

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• ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

– English 18 English Composition

– Mathematics 22 College Algebra

– Reading 22 Social Sciences

– Science 23 Biology

• Typical first-year courses taken by students at a typical postsecondary institution

• Are these the typical mathematics and science courses for STEM majors?

• Is college ready the same as STEM ready?

Readiness Benchmarks

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• Science

– Traditional hard sciences, sciences involving management of natural resources, and science education

• Computer Science and Mathematics

– Computer sciences, applied mathematics, and mathematics education

• Medical and Health

– Health sciences and medical technologies

• Engineering and Technology

– Engineering and engineering technologies

STEM Major Categories

Course Non-STEM STEM

By STEM Cluster

Science

Computer Science &

Math

Engineering &

Technology Medical &

Health

Below College Algebra

23% 11% 11% 14% 3% 29%

College Algebra 31% 18% 22% 15% 5% 48%

Calculus 11% 28% 25% 28% 38% 3%

Calculus II 2% 10% 6% 8% 18% 0.1%

Transcript Reviews: First Mathematics Courses

ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making

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Transcript Reviews: First Science Courses

ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making

Course Non-STEM STEM

By STEM Cluster

Science

Computer Science &

Math

Engineering &

Technology Medical &

Health

Chemistry 24% 54% 60% 25% 57% 40%

Biology 35% 31% 47% 26% 8% 48%

Engineering 4% 23% 2% 5% 57% 1%

Physics

2% 6% 3% 7% 11% 0.5%

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• Top 10 colleges and universities that admitted the largest number of ACT-tested students who intended on majoring in STEM

• 90 STEM major by institution comparisons

• 79% indicated Calculus as a first-year requirement

• 90% indicated Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and/or Engineering as satisfying first-year requirements (dependent on major)

Course Catalog Review

ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making

Individual STEM Readiness Benchmarks

• Median ACT Mathematics score associated with a 50% probability of earning a grade of B or better in Calculus is 27

• Median ACT Science score associated with a 50% probability of earning a grade of B or better in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or Engineering is 25

ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making

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Probabilities of Success

ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making

Calculus Chemistry/Biology/

Physics/Engineering

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STEM Persistence at Year 4 by Avg ACT Math & Science score

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Avg. ACT Mathematics & Science

Not enrolled Left STEMPersisted

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Not enrolled Left STEMPersisted

Four-year institutions Two-year institutions

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STEM Degree Completion by

Average ACT Math & Science Score Four-year institutions - Bachelor’s degree

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STEM Degree Completion Year 6 by

Average Score and STEM Interest

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Average ACT Math & Science score

Expressed & measured interest Expressed interest onlyMeasured interest only No interest

Four-year institutions - Bachelor’s degree

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Future Studies

• Examine further these relationships by student demographic characteristics. – Why are females more likely to switch to non-STEM.

– Barriers to STEM success for low-income students.

• Examine relationships between STEM interests and STEM major choice.

• Examine whether academic ability moderates relationship between STEM interests and long-term STEM success.

• Explore how other non-cognitive characteristics may play a role in long-term STEM success.

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All ACT STEM Condition Reports

can be found at:

act.org/stemcondition

steven.triplett@act.org

paul.westrick@act.org

Questions?