As a nonprofit educational research organization, ACT is committed to producing research that focuses on key issues in education and workforce development. Our goal is to serve as a data resource. We strive to provide policymakers with the information they need to inform education and workforce development policy and to give educators the tools they need to lead more students toward college and career success. What follows are some of ACT’s recent and most groundbreaking research studies related to STEM.
The ACT National Curriculum Survey is a nationwide survey of educational practices and expectations. Conducted every three to five years by ACT, the survey collects data about what entering college students should know and be able to do to be ready for college-level coursework in English, math, reading, and science.
POLICY SUMMARY (PDF; 18 pages)
SCIENCE (PDF; 20 pages)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (PDF; 16 pages)
MATHEMATICS (PDF; 24 pages)
Using ACT scores and the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2013 provides a series of graphics highlighting the college and career readiness of the ACT‑tested high school class of 2013. This report is updated annually.
DOWNLOAD REPORT (PDF; 40 pages)
This report uses data from the ACT college readiness assessment to examine the feasibility of producing 100,000 high-quality math and science teachers in the next decade and finds that there is an insufficient number of graduates interested in and capable of math and science teaching to meet the 100,000 high-quality teacher goal.
DOWNLOAD REPORT (PDF; 12 pages)
The College Choice Report provides enrollment managers and other college administrators with information about student patterns during the college choice process of the 2013 high school graduates who took the ACT. The focus of this year’s report is students’ selection of a college major or program of study.
DOWLOAD REPORT (PDF; 24 pages)
