By Gov. Jeb Bush
This piece was originally published on December 7, 2023, in the Tampa Bay Times
If you had to pick one issue in K-12 education where Florida policymakers need to maintain their focus in the coming years, the answer is clear: accountability.
Our state has made big commitments to supporting schools and educators, and we’ve opened new doors for parents to find K-12 options for their children, but we’re falling behind when it comes to preparing students for success beyond graduation.
Newly released data from the class of 2023 show Florida’s composite ACT score — the average of English, math, reading and science scores — was 18.9 out of 36, a decrease from 19.6 in 2014.
Nationally, ACT test scores have fallen to the lowest levels in 32 years. More than 4 in 10 seniors do not meet any of the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks, which are the lowest scores for predicted success in college courses, and 70% of seniors fall short of college readiness benchmark for mathematics.
ACT scores are an important indicator of student readiness for higher education and the workforce. The state-level results from this year’s graduating class raise red flags.
