@OHMomof2: CC and lots of other forums, among other sources of information, but also the colleges themselves.
We had kids taking the ACT/SAT from 2014 through this year, and applying to colleges at the same time (one every year for awhile). What I noticed is that pretty much all the schools that required the essay when DC #1 applied to school had dropped them within two years, precisely following the conflict; the reason, when I called to clarify essay requirements, was that there simply was too much controversy regarding the ACT essay. At the time, the SAT had just launched and colleges hadn’t quite formulated their new policies regarding that test yet.
Here are a couple of articles on the matter (you’ll need to google the headline):
“How the New ACT Writing Test Went Wrong” - by Art Sawyer, Oct. 29, 2015. Art has also commented numerous times about credibility with the ACT essay scoring contributing to colleges dropping the requirement.
“ACT Screw Up” July 25, 2016
Here is ACT’s “white paper” which includes the admission that scores were very low following the revision of the essay component:
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Research-Letter-about-ACT-Writing.pdf
And finally, here’s the announcement that they changed the scoring back to their previous method before messing with it in 2015 and getting a ton of complaints:
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/newsroom/act-will-move-to-2-to-12-score-range-for-act-writing-test-result.html
Thanks for the links @JBStillFlying
That first one, about the delay that ACT ultimately was ale to fix in time, suggests the essay was in trouble before that, though -
[quote]
The questions around ACT Writing come at a time when colleges are re-evaluating the importance of the essay.
Now that both College Board and ACT have made the essay optional, colleges are re-evaluating writing tests that increase fees by approximately 40% and lengthen testing by 20-30%. Do the SAT and ACT essays add sufficient value to the admission process to justify their requirement? A growing number of schools are saying “No,”… (list of elite Us that have dropped essay previously)
[/quote]
It doesn’t appear to me that this incident caused the demise of the essay in general.
@OHMomof2 - That’s very possible. For instance, SAT was making theirs completely optional which could well have encouraged schools to drop it as a requirement, even if ACT hadn’t had their big mess up. From my conversations with several schools (two of them being UWisc. and NU which changed their rules right before D17 applied) it was clear that the essay controversy was the nail in the coffin. That the coffin might have already been in the room to begin with - that’s quite possible. Schools were aware of SAT’s changes but hadn’t quite gotten around to posting their own policies yet at the time we called in Feb 2016, right before the inaugural rSAT.
Another thread points to another, deeply problematic, topic - with posters who are genuinely dismayed and angry, and even ACT itself opting to weigh in to make a statement (imagine CB doing that on this thread LOL). The timing just seems so wrong - waiting a year to flag the test for “problems”? While the subject is certainly not new (nor restricted just to ACT), the frequency seems to have ticked up over the past year.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/1987200-act-testing-wrongly-accusing-cheating-2017.html
@JBStillFlying Ugh tht is awful.
The cheating stuff is definitely both tests, though the SAT seems to suffer from it more often, at least overseas. I wonder if it is simply more popular overseas?
Does ACT recycle tests like SAT does, too?
@OHMomof2 - have no idea whether they recycle tests but ACT has had its share of overseas cheating (the thread above seems to consist of US students and parents). I’ve read on other blogs that about 2500 students/year are accused of cheating on the ACT but that was a few years ago. Given the volume on that thread I posted I’m guessing they are going after a lot more kids who have shown rapid improvement in a test (5+ points) or who did a subsequent test during school and sort of blew it off so the first score is now in question . . . what a nightmare. The takeaways: 1) don’t test more than you need to, and 2) every test counts (even the ones they “make” you do in school).
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Then I’m deleting this whole pointless tangential conversation.
My daughter was in the same boat. In March she got 7 answers wrong in math and in June she only had 5 incorrect answers and they dropped her 20 points in math. In reading and writing she got 10 more questions right and they dropped her 10 points, that is a total of 30 points dropped, with 12 more correct answers. They screwed her, she was a rising senior and we had to scramble to find a way to not look like she did WORSE. She took the ACT instead because I will never give the CB another cent and got a 33. We sent an email to the CB and they did NOTHING. Everyone is aware that the president of the CB is the architect behind The Common Core RIGHT???
Did you even hear anything back from them. They sent us a poorly excused email that said nothing would be done. My daughter got 2 less questions wrong in math and they dropped her 20 points and I think 10 in R & W and they dropped her 10 points there for a total of a 30 point drop with 12 more questions right
Forget about all that, my daughter had a total of 10 less questions wrong on the June than in March and they dropped her 30 points!!! For more questions RIGHT. RIDICULOUS. 2 less questions in math and 20 of the 30 point drop was in there. They wasted my money, and time, and isn’t it funny that the president of The CB is the architect behind The Common Core. Took the ACT and got a near perfect score. Never again will any child of mine take the SAT.