Grades and Standardized Test Scores Aren’t Matching Up. Here’s Why
Major decisions that affect the trajectory of students’ lives hinge on their high school grades: in-class support they might or might not receive, college admission offers, and potentially financial aid.
But how much weight should educators and college admissions officers actually give to the course grades that show up on students’ transcripts? After all, researchers have found a mismatch between those grades and scores on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT—and that mismatch appears only to be growing.
Average composite ACT scores decreased from 22.51 to 21.90 from 2018 to 2021 while the average high school GPAs test takers reported rose in that period from 3.48 to 3.59, according to new ACT research. (The maximum ACT score is 36.)
