By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis – African-American students in Missouri are still lagging behind their peers on the ACT college admissions test.
Data from the testing company show that just three percent of African-American high schoolers who took the test in Missouri made the benchmark scores in the four subjects tested by the ACT, and their average score is much lower than other ethnic groups.
William Woods University professor Gary Moss handled test preparation for the St. Louis public schools for ten years. He said the ACT reviews what students should be learning in high school.
"It's just a matter of the districts doing a better job of covering and making sure the students know what they need to know to do well on those tests."
Moss said an increase in the number of black students taking the ACT is also partially responsible for the low scores.