What Kind of Interpretations Can Be Made on the Basis of ACT Scores - Explain how ACT scores support standards-based and norms-based interpretations

Oct 9, 2026

ACT score interpretations can be made in two main ways: standards-referenced and norm-referenced. The ACT is fundamentally designed as a curriculum-based achievement test aligned to College Readiness Standards, so scores reflect performance against predefined expectations for college readiness. In addition, ACT provides College Readiness Benchmarks linked to typical placements in entry-level college courses, describing the likelihood of earning grades such as B or C. Students may also use national and state norms to see what percentage of students scored at or below each score point over the prior three years.

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Standards-referenced interpretations

College Readiness Standards and curriculum-based design

Benchmarks for course placement and remediation avoidance

Norm-referenced interpretations

National norms and state norms

Valid comparisons using score reports

What Kind of Interpretations Can Be Made on the Basis of ACT Scores? ACT is often asked whether student scores on the ACT® test can be used to make norm-referenced or standards-referenced comparisons. Norm-referenced interpretations compare students to one another, while standards-referenced interpretations measure student performance against predefined content standards. This brief shows that, while the ACT provides data that permit normreferenced interpretations of student scores, the ACT is fundamentally designed and developed as a standards-referenced assessment whose scores represent performance at meeting the requirements for college readiness. The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test that measures what students need to know to be ready for entry-level college-credit courses. The content of the ACT is based on the results of the ACT National Curriculum Survey®, a nationwide survey of educators conducted every three to four years. The survey results identify what is important for high school graduates to know and be able to do when they enter college. These expectations are summarized in and defined by the ACT College Readiness Standards™ . Each test form of the ACT is developed to measure the College Readiness Standards so that student performance on the ACT can be tied directly to these standards. And because these standards remain consistent from one form of the ACT to the next, it is possible for students to demonstrate improvement in their performance across succeeding administrations ofthe ACT or between EXPLORE® (grade 8), PLAN® (grade 10), and the ACT, the three longitudinal assessment components of ACT’s College Readiness System. The ACT, then, provides standards-based interpretations of student performance by reporting scores that are directly related to standards that define college readiness. Because the ACT is developed on the basis of content standards rather than developed to maximize differentiation among students, maximize statistical prediction, or ensure a particular statistical distribution of test scores, it is possible—although admittedly highly unlikely—that all students could earn the same ACT score. That is, it is theoretically possible for all students in a state, school, or class to have the same level of achievement, in which case they would all attain the same score on the ACT. There is also a second type of standards-based interpretation that can be made based on ACT scores, one that helps students determine if their performance is sufficient for them to be ready for entry-level college-credit courses without remediation. As part of our empirical definition of college readiness, ACT has established its College Readiness Benchmarks, which are the typical ACT scores that are used to place students into particular entry-level college courses across the United States: English Composition, College Algebra, introductory social science courses (such as Economics and U.S. History), and Biology. ©2008 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. EXPLORE® and PLAN® are registered trademarks ofACT, Inc. College Readiness Standards™ is a trademark of ACT, Inc. IC 0508B7090 ACT developed the College Readiness Benchmarks based on actual student performance in credit-bearing first-year college courses at a nationally representative sample of two-and four-year institutions. A student who meets a particular Benchmark has a 50 percent chance of earning a grade of B or above, or a 75 percent chance of earning a grade of C or above, in the corresponding college course. Students who take the ACT can therefore interpret their scores relative to these Benchmarks as another indicator of their readiness for college. Both the College Readiness Standards and Benchmarks provide standardsbased interpretations that students can use to compare their performance to 1) the specific knowledge and skills that colleges expect of their en

FAQs

How do standards-referenced interpretations of ACT scores work?

Standards-referenced interpretations relate ACT results to predefined College Readiness Standards that define college readiness. Because each test form measures these standards, performance can be tied directly to them.

What are College Readiness Benchmarks and how are they used?

Benchmarks are typical ACT scores used to place students into entry-level college courses and to reduce the need for remediation. They are based on actual student performance in credit-bearing first-year courses.

What do national and state norms tell students?

National norms summarize performance of students nationwide who took the ACT in the last three years, while state norms summarize students from the student’s own state. They indicate the percentage scoring at or below each score point.

Oct 9, 2026

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