Students in Minnesota have proven, for the ninth year in a row, that they’re more prepared for college than students in other states where the majority takes the ACT.

Amongst other states where more than half of students take the college-readiness exam, including Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio, our scores were the highest.

It’s a trend that’s been following Minnesota for years now.

Although our state is doing the best overall, there is still much work to be done: too few students of color aren’t passing the test, which highlights Minnesota’s achievement gap.

In an attempt to close this achievement gap, initiatives made toward education over the past year will take place this year.

Just this past May, state education leaders signed a contract with ACT to provide a series of college readiness tests to Minnesota’s middle and high school students. Beginning next year, nearly every student in the state will take the ACT in 11th grade.

Lawmakers implemented this new system as a replacement for the former GRAD (Graduation Required Assessment for Diploma) tests, which students had to pass in order to graduate.

Now, our legislators are moving toward preparing students for college or careers before graduation so that kids will have the best chances at a high-paying job that allows them to be successful.

As someone who took the ACT (twice) fewer than five years ago, I can attest that scoring the highest out of the states where students take it the most is a huge accomplishment. Students often spend months preparing for this test, and many of us know how crucial it is to our futures.

Way to go Minnesota students!