Oklahoma ACT scores among the lowest in the country

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — American College Testing (ACT) released nationwide testing scores for the Class of 2024.

Oklahoma is one of nine states where 100% of graduating students are required to take the test.

Our state's average score is 17.6, ranked the second lowest ahead of Nevada, which has an average score of 17.2.

The highest you can score on the exam is a 36.

State Representative and former teacher, Mickey Dollens, spoke to News 4 today about the low test scores.

"These are some of the lowest scores that I've seen," said Representative Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City.

He says, "Prioritizing our teachers and competitive salaries, and then also getting back to reading at a young age," could help boost test score averages.

A current Oklahoma teacher did not want to be identified, but weighed in on the new data.

"The issue really boils down to a lack of emphasis on early literacy. If a child falls behind in those early years, they can't do anything to keep up," said the teacher.

She believes the low scores could affect students long-term.

The teacher adds, "It severely impacts their earning potential. If you weren't able to read professionally, that severely limits your job prospects."

News 4 reached out to the Oklahoma State Department of Education about the low average:

Oklahoma uses ACT as part of how we assess students, which is not the case in some other states. Consequently, there is no true apples-to-apples comparison of these scores from state to state.

For too long, our schools have focused on left-wing indoctrination in the classroom, and under Superintendent Walters’s leadership, Oklahoma schools are getting Back to Basics and focusing on academic outcomes.

Dan Isett, Director of Communications, OSDE

The Oklahoma Education Association also sent a comment to News 4.

While Oklahoma does have lower ACT scores than other states, there is an important factor that skews our scores.  Because we use the ACT as part of an accountability system, all juniors must take the test regardless of if they’re college bound or not. This causes scores to be lower when compared to states that are only reporting scores of college bound students. 

ACT scores are only a predictor of how students will do their freshmen year of college. Our scores are used by district as a snapshot to make inferences on how to adjust their curriculum to provide a successful learning environment for students. Districts across the state are continuously working on ways to raise the scores and ensure that all students are prepared for college if they choose to pursue it. 

Katherine Bishop, President of the Oklahoma Education Association

Click here to see the list of average ACT scores per state.