On Wednesday, Aug. 17, an Associated Press article appeared in the Daily News concerning the latest statewide average ACT scores.

The article noted that the statewide average for Kentucky was lower than the national average. This, of course, makes it appear that Kentucky has some work to do to catch-up, and given the low percentage of students whose scores reflected that they were prepared for college, there is work that needs to be done.

Unfortunately, the AP, the Daily News and other media outlets failed to make an important distinction between the two averages used.

Nationally, scores tend to be recorded only for students who are college bound, but in Kentucky all high school juniors are required to take the ACT as a part of the statewide testing program. This means students who have no intention on attending college, and who in any other state would not be taking the exam, are averaged into the figure for Kentucky. Therefore, to compare these two figures is to make a false comparison. It is the proverbial comparing of apples to oranges. If these students were not required to take the exam, then the average for Kentucky students would most likely be nearer the national average.

Unfortunately, there will be some who will take this false comparison and try to make something of it.

Some may even use it politically.

Those who do will malign our public schools in Kentucky unnecessarily and do so based upon a logical fallacy.

Because of how these things play out in public, The Associated Press and those using their reports should remember to make such distinctions in the facts in the future.

Gary Hughes

Bowling Green