From the ECS State Policy Database: Assessment--College Entrance Exams - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Strategies to Empower Low-Income and Minority Students in Gaining Admission to and Paying for College PDF - This policy brief identifies barriers created by federal, state and local policies that pose a particular challenge for aspiring first-generation college students in the college and financial aid application process, and provides suggestions for how state-level policy might address each barrier. A final section on "other" barriers to college entry seeks to alert policymakers to emerging issues for which adequate institutional, state and federal policy responses are needed. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, November 2008)...

College-Ready Standards - This database provides 50-state information on state policies requiring all students to (1) complete a college/employer-recommended curriculum and (2) take the ACT or SAT. The database also includes disaggregated college-readiness data from the Manhattan Institute. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, January 2006)...

2009 ACT National and State Scores - The National Score Report section provides 10-year trend data, in both text and interactive charts, on the number of graduating seniors taking the ACT; the national average ACT composite score (both overall and disaggregated by gender); national average scores in English, math, reading and science; and the percent of ACT-tested seniors who reported completing a core curriculum. The 2009 national average composite scores disaggregated by race. The state average scores section provides details about each state’s performance in these areas. The number of graduating seniors taking the ACT reached an all-time high in 2009, though the average composite score of 21.1 did not change from 2008. The 2009 report includes college readiness by state. (ACT, Inc., August 2009)...