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) 2
From 2010 2014: ACT Tested Grads + 18% Number of Grads - 2% 3
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Millions Growth in Admission Testing 4.0 ACT Administrations 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Total National State In 2014, 57% of high school graduates took the ACT. Dr. Wayne J. Camara Admissions Testing in the US
National Benchmark Attainment 5
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 ACTtested 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) 8
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 9
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 10
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 11
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Educational Aspirations Parents Education Level 13
Benchmark Attainment Gender Comparison Science Computer Science and Mathematics Medical and Health Engineering and Technology 14
Benchmark Attainment Comparison Expressed and Measured Science Computer Scicienc Science and Math Medical and Health Medical and Health Engineering and and Technology 15
Actual numbers of students within the state that fall into the majors/occupations in each category: Expressed & measured Expressed only 22
Major Findings 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 23
ACT Profile (http://www.act.org/profile/) College and career planning community: Free college and career planning self-assessments Interests Values Skills
High Ability Students and High Academic Standards 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). 26
Calculus and STEM Attrition 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). 27
Students in Quantitative Majors have High ACT Mathematics Scores ACT Information Brief 2014-20, Average ACT Mathematics Scores for Quantitative Science Majors 28
Readiness Benchmarks 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? 29
STEM Major Categories 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 30
Transcript Reviews: First Mathematics Courses Course Below College Algebra Non- STEM STEM Science By STEM Cluster Computer Science & Math Engineering & Technology Medical & Health 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% ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making 31
Transcript Reviews: First Science Courses By STEM Cluster Course Non- STEM STEM 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% ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making 32
Course Catalog Review 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) ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making 33
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 34
Probabilities of Success Calculus Chemistry/Biology/ Physics/Engineering ACT Research Report 2015-3, Development of STEM Readiness Benchmarks to Assist Educational and Career Decision Making 35
Percent Percent STEM Persistence at Year 4 by Avg ACT Math & Science score 80 Four-year institutions 80 Two-year institutions 70 70 60 60 50 50 40 40 30 30 20 20 10 10 0 10 15 20 25 30 35 Avg. ACT Mathematics & Science Not enrolled Persisted Left STEM 0 10 15 20 25 30 35 Avg. ACT Mathematics & Science Not enrolled Persisted Left STEM 36
STEM Degree Completion by Average ACT Math & Science Score Four-year institutions - Bachelor s degree 37
Percent STEM Degree Completion Year 6 by Average Score and STEM Interest 60 Four-year institutions - Bachelor s degree 50 40 30 20 10 26 23 24 21 36 33 34 30 46 43 44 39 0 < 22.5 22.5 to 25.5 >= 26 Average ACT Math & Science score Expressed & measured interest Expressed interest only Measured interest only No interest 38
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. 39
All ACT STEM Condition Reports can be found at: act.org/stemcondition steven.triplett@act.org paul.westrick@act.org Questions? 40