Hi since im going through the same situation, i have some questions. If this is still continuing what scores are colleges looking at while deciding? And can colleges change their mind after my score is cancelled to reject me after accepting me?? Also will my official score change to the other highest score if the questioned score is canceled? I’m so confused now
We have not heard from my daughters university since ACT cancelled her score. However, she had completed her first semester by the time the final decision was made. She is now approaching the completion of her second semester. I am not sure what the colleges stand will be. I do not recommend notifying them until they bring it to your attention, then you can discuss the issue with the administration manager or Dean. I believe the cancelled score will then fall to the prior score result (which will obviously be the lower). Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions.
I have been following this thread for awhile, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that has shared their experiences with working through the ACT Score Review process. My son has been working through the same ordeal.
My son originally took the ACT Exam at a required all school exam day in February 2017. Prior to the exam he had been ill culminating with him waking up on exam day with a bad cough, body aches, etc. He decided to take the exam and give it his best shot. Thinking it would be a good thing to get a feel for it, and knowing that he could take it again. That was a mistake. He continued to cough through the exam, had a difficult time concentrating, and ran out of time in each section. After the conclusion of the exam we took him into the Doctor, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.
It wasn’t a surprise when we received his score results that they were much lower than his two exam prep comprehensive exams. He regularly scored mid 20’s on his practice exams, but scored a 16 on his February 2017 exam. He was extremely disappointed, but we immediately signed him up for the June 2017 exam and he got back to his exam preparation to get ready.
He took the June 2017 ACT exam prepared and ready to go. When he received his exam results they were much more in line with his practice exams, scoring a 25. He is a good student with a 3.5 GPA, but has never been an exceptional standardized test taker, so a 25 comprehensive was good, and most importantly enough to qualify for his college choice. His scores were submitted, he was accepted and he entered senior year ready to finish high school with those worries behind him. That was until he received the letter, dated November 1, 2017 accusing him of cheating on his June exam.
I share all of the anger, frustration, and emotions of those that have shared their stories here. We responded to ACT on November 6, 2017 with a doctor note with his pneumonia diagnosis, a timeline of his ACT exam preparation activities, a copy of his transcript proving his academic background, a statistical breakdown of his scoring, and a personal letter from his guidance counselor. We, like many that chose to take the option of responding them to confirm the validity of the scores, assumed that with this letter, they would confirm his scores.
It did not work out this way. After waiting until Mid - February for them to get back to us, they denied his appeal and gave him the option of arbitration, cancelling, or retake. He decided to retake the exam on March 10th. His retake score has not been received yet, but I can only imagine given their past history of taking a long time on their end, but requiring immediate action on ours, that it might be awhile longer.
I do think that this process is completely flawed, and that examinees are guilty until proven innocent. The ACT has the right to make sure their exam results are valid, but I also think that they are determined to protect their business model at all costs by invalidating even those that have verifiable reasons for discrepancies in scores. There is too much money at stake for them if individuals legitimately improve on their exams by too much of a margin. This has been a very stressful experience for my son and my family. It has really taken some of fun of his senior year away as he instead worries about something that should have been taken care of long before now.
Good luck to everyone that has to go through this with their children. It is an uphill battle, for sure.
Thank you for your post. Please keep in touch. I am VERY curious to know how his retest goes as I have very little confidence in the ACT giving a fair retest.
Did your son have an opinion about the retest or the experience?
Best of luck on his scores!
Catherine Thompson
@kodiman24 Good point about the $$ machine and incentives of ACT.
They need to “do the right thing” and be HONEST about re-takes then. Ie…state that huge score increases (>8pts or whatever they deem too much) may be investigated and put on hold or invalidated.
Many schools (and I think even the ACT) suggest that students take the first one early as a baseline, then work on improvement from there. Given this discussion, I think this is a bad recommendation and high schools need to know that ACT is questioning large score increases. I think students should wait until they are ready to score well…just use timed practice tests for the baseline.
Many, but not all schools do make the initial test mandatory during the junior year. Many topics in the test are not yet taught to the students at this time so it is difficult for many to prepare. Fyi to all - the ACT allows up to 12 retests per their student handbook. They set these kids up from the very 1st test!
@DBLPLA what do you mean by:
“There is too much money at stake for them if individuals legitimately improve on their exams by too much of a margin”
I feel so bad for you, I just didn’t understand this comment.
I, too, have been following this thread for a few months, and I have spoken to Catherine (ktrrights) on the telephone. My daughter received the same bogus form letter that all of you received. My story is very close to poster DBLPLA in thread #122. My daughter was required to take the exam that was given statewide to all Juniors in Texas in Feb 2017. At the time of the test, my daughter was recovering from Strep Throat and a ruptured eardrum. She had taken antibiotics for several days and she was no longer contagious. We were concerned about absences, so she attended school for the test. Since we hadn’t paid for the Feb 2017 test, and she had taken no prep classes (the private tutoring was scheduled to start the following week and included 11 one hour private sessions in preparation for the June 2017 test that we had already booked and paid for), I told her that I knew she didn’t feel well, and to just try her best, this Feb test was just for practice, to see what the test was like, and the “real” test would be the one she took in July. What a mistake!!! If I only knew then how corrupt the ACT is - I would never have allowed her to sit for the Feb “practice” test. On the Feb test, she scored a Composite 21, with her two lowest areas being Math and English.
She had a prior SAT score of 1240 from Oct 2016, so we believed, based on the two scores, that math was the area to focus on. She completed 11 private one-hour tutoring sessions and one complete timed practice test per week to review with her tutor at each session. On the June 2017 test, she scored a 27, which on a SAT/ACT concordance table is equivalent to the 1240 on her prior SAT. Then, we received the form letter in the mail on Dec 22, 2017. We chose to appeal. Our daughter did not cheat, and we wanted to stand up for her integrity and the validity of her fairly earned score. Also, we do not trust the ACT to administer a fair test (which, yes, is required to be taken privately one-on-one with their proctor - talk about test anxiety), and we also felt like our daughter was no longer in “prep mode” so the testing materials were not fresh in her mind. If anyone thinks that a student can just sit down at any moment for a standardized test, without any sort of practice /prep, and expect to earn their BEST score, that is extremely unlikely. I am a teacher and work with students on testing strategies, practice, and preparation for our required state standardized testing, so I am very familiar with this process.
We submitted a detailed binder of supporting documents to ACT for our appeal, which included copies of Urgent Care records, pediatrician office notes, prescription info, comparable SAT scores earned before and after the ACT tests in question, transcripts (3.7 GPA / Honors Courses / National Honor Society). We also submitted her high school dance team calendar and competition schedule for the months surrounding the Feb 2017 test to show how busy she was, traveling, competing, compounded with her illness, all leading directly up to the Feb test date where she had not even thought about the test or studied for one moment. We obtained letters from her Assistant Principal regarding her character, a letter from her Guidance Counselor including conduct report (no incidents), validating her transcript, and discussing her character (as well as outlining the guidance counselor’s conversation with the proctor at the testing center who said there were no irregularities with my daughter’s test), a letter from her AP Statistics teacher who is also her National Honor Society sponsor, letter from her Honors English teacher who taught her in grades 10 & 12, letter from her math tutor outlining the curriculum they covered and the similar scores she earned on her practice tests, as well as my daughter’s commitment and hard work during their sessions, and a letter from her nursing school mentor who also vouched for her character and honesty. My daughter wrote a letter on her own behalf and included her college essays to show her abilities and character. We sent in all 7 of her college acceptance letters to show that these schools admitted her based on much more that one ACT score, showing there is a totality of education, character, and achievement that supports her fairly earning the June 2017 score. In our parent letter to ACT, we also discussed the questionable statistics that ACT put together to present the appearance of cheating / impropriety. In our daughter’s case, only two of the four testing categories showed similar correct or incorrect answers to another tester, and those two categories were Reading and Science. We demonstrated that while those were the only two categories that showed similar responses, Reading and Science were also the same two categories where she had earned the highest points on the Feb 2017 test. In fact, her Reading and Science scores barely changed between the Feb 2017 and June 2017 tests. The two areas where my daughter made the largest score gains, which increased her composite score from a 21 to a 27 were English and Math (I am an English teacher and we hired a math tutor). Yet, English and Math were the two areas where the statistics provided by ACT showed virtually no unusual similarity between her answers and those of another tester. Their own data essentially disproves their cheating allegation by showing that the areas where her score improved most (English/ Math) were not areas that indicated similar answers, and the two areas that seemed to have similar answer patterns (Reading/ Science) were areas where my daughter’s June 2017 test had similar scores to her Feb 2017 test.
We felt strongly that the totality of evidence was on our side - documented illness, prior comparable SAT scores, no preparation for Feb 2017 test since we hadn’t scheduled it or paid for it, taking Feb 2017 test with the idea that it was for “practice,” 11 one-hour private tutoring sessions, 11+ timed practice tests, GPA/ transcripts, letters of support, documentation of no irregularities reported at testing center, taking the June 2017 test at a school she had never been to before (knew no one, thought everyone had different test forms, desks spread apart, etc.). We even made the point that we know our daughter is not a cheater, and their cheating scenario makes no sense. It would be ridiculous to risk cheating off of someone you had never met before, and had no reason to believe they were any smarter, more capable, or knew the correct answers. It is even more unbelievable that you would cheat after spending so much time tutoring, and practicing, when you knew you were prepared for the test. We questioned why, with their alleged focus on test security, were students seated next to each other with the same test form, and why other measures weren’t taken to ensure the test was securely administered on their part so that there would be no reason to question results after the fact.
After all the work, worrying, and waiting, we received another form letter in the mail today. There were a few added references to the documentation we submitted, essentially discounting the overwhelming totality of proof we gave - in favor their misleading statistics, cobbled together with the purposeful bias of supporting their so-called “test security and integrity.” We were given the option to retest or arbitrate or her score would be canceled. We have not yet decided how we will proceed, but luckily, her SAT score is equivalent and will stand in place of her ACT score if it is canceled. If all of the evidence we submitted wasn’t enough to validate her score, I cannot imagine what would actually be enough to get ACT to confirm a score in the appeals process. They clearly have an agenda, and it is to cancel a certain number of scores per year in order to appear that they are diligently protecting so-called “score integrity” and “test security.”
@LvMyKids2 What I tried to mean is that the ACT has a business model that depends upon using statistics to prove that their exam is an accurate predictor of college readiness. They have virtually every single high school and college in the U.S. captive to taking or using their exam which earns them a lot of money. Even though they are also in the business of selling exam preparation materials, they claim that exam score improvements are not statistically possible and instead measures life long learning. If their exam is in any way shown as a less than reliable predictor of success or that improvements can be made through short-term learning techniques, it erodes their model. If that happens, less colleges and high schools will require the use of the ACT, and their profits go away. As a result, they must continue to fight against any and all cases of results that bring into question their validity.
@DBLPLA Yes, that’s the irony
The ACT not only administers the exam but also sells test preparation material to help you improve your scores.
“The Official ACT Prep Guide 2016-2017 is the bestselling resource for students gearing up for the ACT test. This comprehensive guide walks you through the entire test experience, from registration through results, with expert advice straight from the test’s creators. You’ll find effective test-taking strategies, tips for boosting your score on the English, math, reading, and science tests, and detailed information on the enhanced optional writing test. Three new full-length practice tests help you assess your readiness so you can spot weak areas well in advance, and the ACT experts provide valuable advice on preparing both mentally and physically so you can manage anxiety and be fully confident on test day. … For preparation strategies that actually make a difference in your score–and beyond–go straight to the source with The Official ACT Prep Guide 2016-2017.”
BUT, if you follow our advice and improve your score too much, we’ll accuse you of cheating.
Exactly! It’s CRAZY to me that v they have gotten away with this for so long.
They need to be regulated and audited my 3rd party companies that provide these statistics to the colleges and universities!
Still unclear why those in this thread don’t get together and sue. There are plenty of attorneys who specialize in class action lawsuits, and clearly the ACT has deep pockets. Has this avenue been explored?
I am not kidding when I say go on Kimmel show or Ellen. Someone who is affected write a heartfelt and fact filled letter. I feel like maybe Ellen would take on doing something like this. She loves kids.
I agree, however parents are faced with the cost of a lawsuit or tuition. At this crucial time we have to pick our battles. Hope this makes sense. My hunch is awareness and media attention is the best most logical option.
@TTdd16 I understand your question about filing a lawsuit, and I have looked into it. There are many issues. Not all attorneys are willing to take a case on contingency (no money up front / payment comes out of settlement or winning suit), no attorney in their right mind would fight the ACT legal machine pro bono, and fighting the ACT legal machine on behalf of our own children would put most of us in financial jeopardy while we are trying to save our money to pay for college and have something left to retire on, not to mention how long it would drag on in court, and the emotional toll it would take on our children as they are attacked by the ACT once again, through the legal process, depositions, and court dates. In order to file a lawsuit, the plaintiff must show actual damages. In many of our cases, while we have been inconvenienced, morally outraged, and frustrated (to say the least) by our experience with the ACT, our children will still go on to their chosen colleges, and will still receive scholarships based on other test scores, so it is harder to prove damages. And, in addition to all of that, legal precedent is almost entirely in favor of the testing companies (see https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/890/380/387671/
and https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1210&context=elj ). I keep thinking about the John Grisham novel (and movie) The Rainmaker. The story involves a corrupt medical insurance company, but it is similar to what we are going through. The only way the plaintiff won the case in the story was an “inside man” came forward to testify about the internal corruption in the company. That is what we need on our side. A current or former employee of ACT who is disgusted by their dishonest practices and wants to come forward and expose them. In the meantime, stories like ours have been written about in widely circulated media. Here is one example http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/11/12/local-high-school-student-fights-cheating-allegation/ and nothing seems to change. It certainly is an uphill battle. Until a regulatory agency, such as state or federal Dept of Education, or a state Attorney General cares to get involved and investigate ACT, change seems unlikely. Certainly ACT heavily lobbies and influences these agencies, though.
This is a great post. And some very very valid points. However, we can’t back down. One day this will make history for thousands of future students.
Looking for advice? My son took the act 2 times on test dates. First score 22 his sophomore year and again in December his junior year he scored a 28 with help from tutoring and online testing. So he was done didn’t want to take anymore. Well at the end of junior year all juniors are required to take so he didn’t even try got a 20, well the school screwed test up for everyone so they had to retake he made a 19. College and scholarship time is going on now(march)as a senior, one college he is interested in would not take transcript of act score from high school so I had to have act send to them. This is when we received letter saying they will not count the 28. We sent in his transcripts he has a 4.35 and he has 26 college credits as a senior. They rejected it and said his academics were not good enough. We are now thinking about going through arbitration but not sure if it will help because act is the one that pays the law firm in arbitration. Any advice will be helpful.
That 28 seems like an outlier statistically. You won’t win that one and grades won’t prove test scores.
I do have some helpful information for you. I have been asked to NOT post the information on CC. Please email me directly and I can give you some contact information that may help. I will also share some advise with you. How much is the scholarship your student stands to lose?