Where's the Bias? : Selected Facts About Female ACT Scores in 1997

August 13, 1997

NOTE TO EDITORS/REPORTERS: This news release reports information about 1997 high school graduates who took the ACT Assessment for college entrance. Local districts and schools receive similar information about their students. However, ACT releases only national and selected state data; ACT does not provide local district or school data.

1. In nine states, females have a higher composite average than males do:

	Females	Males
Alaska	21.2	20.8
Florida	20.7	20.6
Hawaii	21.7	21.5
Massachusetts	21.7	21.5
North Carolina	19.4	19.0
North Dakota	21.4	21.3
Pennsylvania	21.1	20.9
South Carolina	18.9	18.8
Virginia	20.9	20.5

2. In another four states, male and female composite averages are equal:

Georgia	20.2
Maryland	20.7
Texas	20.2
West Virginia	20.0

3. The average composite score for Oregon females, 22.2, is higher than the averages for the males of all but five states.

4. The national composite average for Asian American females, 21.6, is higher than the national average for all males, 21.1. The mathematics average, 22.7, is higher than those for Caucasian males, 21.9, and all males, 21.3.

5. The national average for African American females, 17.2, is higher than that for African American males, 16.8.

6. In 24 states, the composite average for females is equal to or higher than the national average for males (21.1):

Alaska	21.2	Nebraska	21.6
Colorado	21.4	Nevada	21.2
Hawaii	21.7	New York	21.8
Idaho	21.2	North Dakota	21.4
Iowa	21.9	Ohio	21.2
Indiana	21.1	Oregon	22.2
Kansas	21.6	Pennsylvania	21.1
Massachusetts	21.7	South Dakota	21.2
Michigan	21.1	Utah	21.3
Minnesota	21.9	Washington	22.1
Missouri	21.4	Wisconsin	22.0
Montana	21.8	Wyoming	21.3

7. Females who plan to major in the following areas in college have higher average composite scores than males planning to major in the same areas:

	Females	Males
Agriculture & Agricultural Technology	20.5	19.2
Architecture & Environmental Design	21.2	20.6
Communications & Communications Technology	21.5	20.8
Cross-Disciplinary Studies	23.8	22.7
Teacher Education	20.7	19.6
Engineering	23.3	22.8
Engineering-Related Technology	21.0	20.9
Home Economics	19.0	18.4
Mathematics	24.4	24.2
Philosophy, Religion, Theology	22.5	22.3
Trade & Industrial	19.8	18.6
Visual/Performing Arts	21.4	21.2

8. The highest composite average achieved by any group of females is 27.8 for those planning to major in ceramics engineering. For males, the highest average is the 27.3 achieved by those planning to major in multi- or interdisciplinary studies.

 

 

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