"This is the fifth consecutive year of declines in average scores, a worrisome trend that began long before the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has persisted," ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement.The four ACT test sections are individually scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a composite score -- the rounded whole number average of the four sections-- is provided"The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure," Godwin added.They are further evidence of longtime systemic failures that were exacerbated by the pandemic.However, more high school students are taking the ACT now than ever before -- a trend that has been increasing since 2015, when only 27% of graduates had taken the test as part of a statewide or districtwide administration.Sixteen of those states required all high school students to take the ACT as part of their statewide testing programs, while another seven states funded ACT testing on an optional basis."