ACT Test for Becoming Obsolete for College Freshmen
I remember it well. An early Saturday morning at my high school where hundreds showed up to take the ACT Test. The standardized test, which was introduced all the way back in 1959 became one of the tests those wanting to get into college agonized over, but these days, the ACT isn't that important anymore.
I first got wind of the change in an email from Western Kentucky University in which President Timothy Carboni outlined the "changes for incoming WKU freshman beginning fall 2020" and the first bullet point:
"We removed the ACT requirement from almost all merit-based and targeted academic scholarships." The minimum GPA to get into WKU next fall? 3.0, a B average, down from 3.3, a B+ average.
I then read today, ACT test-takers will be able to go back and correct their answers without taking the entire test over again. The entire test by the way takes about three hours to complete. In addition to correcting answers, students will be able to get a "superscore" which means their highest scores from different times they took the test would be combined. This will begin next September.
I see the positive impact in both eliminating the ACT and allowing students to retake a section would have. Test prep can be overwhelming. I can honestly say I didn't study that much when I took it and I only took it once, and I got a 21.
Word on if the SAT will change has not been mentioned.