ACT's annual nationwide STEM report, "The Condition of STEM 2016"
was released on November 17, 2016.
Nearly half (48 percent) of the 2.1 million 2016 American high school
graduates who took the ACT test expressed an interest in STEM majors
or careers, the report found.
However, only 26 percent of those 1 million STEM-interested graduates
met or surpassed the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in STEM. [see
note below]
The benchmark is an indicator of whether a student is well prepared
for first-year courses such as calculus, biology, chemistry and
physics, which are typically required for a college STEM-related
major.
These findings are virtually unchanged from last year, the report found.
Interest in teaching STEM subject areas continues to be alarmingly
low. Less than 1 percent of the nearly 2.1 million 2016 graduates who
took the ACT indicated an interest in teaching math or science.
NOTE: The states with highest percentages of graduates who met or
surpassed the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in STEM are New England
states and New York; the worst percentages are in southern rural
states, plus Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico, and West Virginia.