Link shown regarding ACT scores, prep courses High school
students who took courses that followed the college prep
curriculum scored significantly higher on the ACT exam than
those who did not, according to information released on Tuesday
by ACT, Inc. of Iowa City, IA. ACT is a nationally normed test
used by colleges and universities as a part of the admissions
process. "Taking the prep curriculum is imperative," said
Regents Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry. "Students who
follow the curriculum have continued to score much higher than
those who do not and the gap between the two is broadening." The
1998 ACT results showed students who took the prep curriculum
scored 2.3 points higher than those who did not. In 1999 the
difference was 2.5 points. The Board of Regents adopted the
college preparatory curriculum in 1987. The Regent's suggested
curriculum includes four years of English, three years of
advanced mathematics (algebra or above), three years of social
sciences, and three years of laboratory scien