Postsecondary and Workforce Success

Stay current with ACT research on important policy issues with email delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to ACT Policy Alerts.

The Relative Predictive Validity of ACT Scores and High School Grades in Making College Admission Decisions (PDF; 52KB, 4 pages)
A summary of ACT research on the relative weights of ACT scores and high school grades for predicting college persistence as well as selected indicators of academic success in college.
ACT Issue Brief, 2008

The Role of Nonacademic Factors in College Readiness and Success (PDF; 69KB, 5 pages)
In addition to academic factors, nonacademic factors can influence student performance and persistence in college. Effective use of nonacademic student information can support student academic achievement.
ACT Issue Brief, 2008

What We Know about College Success: Using ACT Data to Inform Educational Issues (PDF; 70KB, 6 pages,)
If students are ready for college, dropout rates and the costs of remediation are reduced and more students persist in and graduate from college. ACT research related to college readiness and college success is rich and extensive and offers insights about the impact of readiness on college success.
ACT Issue Brief, 2008

The Role of Academic and Non-Academic Factors in Improving College Retention (PDF; 615KB, 41 pages)
A report about the influence of non-academic factors on student retention and performance at four-year colleges and universities. It highlights successful retention strategies and contains recommendations to help administrators and policymakers consider both academic and non-academic factors in the design and implementation of retention efforts.
ACT Research Report, 2004

What Works in Student Retention?
These reports highlight information on successful practices in college student retention based on ACT's national survey that included more than 1,000 colleges.
ACT Policy Report, 2004

The Effects of Using ACT^® Composite Score and High School Average on College Admission Decisions for Racial/Ethnic Groups (PDF; 460KB, 35 pages)
This study examined the effects of using ACT Composite scores and/or high school averages in making college admission decisions for students from selected racial/ethnic groups.
ACT Research Report, 2003

Helping Teacher Assistants Meet "Highly Qualified" Standards
An Oregon school district used the WorkKeys^® Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants to verify teacher assistants in the district's schools met the "highly qualified" standards mandated in the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
WorkKeys Case Study, Fall 2003

Creating Seamless Educational Transitions for Urban African American and Hispanic Students (PDF; 898KB, 55 pages)
This study examines the influences on postsecondary planning that these students have encountered and how such influences have helped them develop and implement their plans for postsecondary education.
ACT Policy Report, 2002

Predicting Different Levels of Academic Success in College Using High School GPA and ACT Composite Score (PDF; 255KB, 23 pages)
Comparing the effectiveness of ACT Composite score and high school GPA for predicting different levels of first-year college GPA.
ACT Research Report, 2002

School Relationships Foster Success for African American Students (PDF; 504KB, 29 pages)
The future strength of the American economy and workforce will largely depend on the postsecondary educational attainments of all Americans—regardless of gender or racial or ethnic background.
ACT Policy Report, 2002

Using Posttesting to Show the Effectiveness of Developmental/Remedial College Courses
One way to determine whether a remedial course has been effective is to test students at the end of the course with an alternate form of the test used to place them in the course (posttesting).
ACT Research Brief, 2002

Alternatives to the Grade Point Average as Measures of Academic Achievement in College (PDF; 460KB, 39 pages)
GPA, a linear combination of grades assigned in different courses, is not an ideal measure of student achievement because it reflects not only academic achievement, but also course-taking strategies and instructor grading practices.
ACT Research Report, 2001

What Helps or Hinders Students' Chances of Success in College?
Why do some students do better their first year in college than others? Are there pre-college student characteristics that differentiate successful college students from less successful college students?
ACT Research Brief, 2001