Dive Summary:

• Only one-quarter of this year's high school graduates who took the ACT tests have the skills they need to succeed in college or a career without remedial courses, according to data the testing company has released.
• The data also show a drop in overall student scores, although the company says that is because of updated standards and because students with no intention of attending two- or four-year colleges are taking the exam.
• Students performed best in English and worst in science.

From the article:

... Of the 1.7 million students who took the 215-question ACT exam, as many as 290,000 were within 2 points of meeting at least one of the four the readiness thresholds. "There is a group that's on the fence," Erickson said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of his company's release of the report. "With a little further instruction or motivation, perhaps some additional remediation or refreshing some of their past skills, they may be able to achieve that benchmark." ...