Most Students Failing to Reach Common-Standards Bar

Most students have far to go before they master the skills and knowledge outlined in the new common standards that have been adopted by all but seven states, a new report concludes.

The study, released last month, is the first to try to identify the ground that must be covered as states and school districts hold their students to the new standards. It found that only one-third to one-half of the nation’s 11th graders are proficient in the content and skills that the common-core standards specify as necessary in mathematics and English/language arts for access to good jobs or success in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses.

ACT Inc. , the Iowa City, Iowa-based nonprofit that produces one of the country’s two dominant college-entrance exams, performed the analysis by identifying items in the ACT exam that reflect specific skills or content in the new standards. As its sample, the ACT used 257,000 high school juniors who took the exam as part of a statewide administration, to avoid skewing the...