My school district/state is implementing a mandatory ACT policy for juniors next year. I will be forced to take the statewide examination for the ACT in April, which is definitely not when I was planning to take it (I was looking at either taking the October or June test, both of which are when I have enough time to study in the weeks prior).
So…
Should this date be the first time I take it? I don’t want to have already gotten a 34+ and then be forced to retake it. But if I don’t do well, then I’ll probably have to take it in the fall of my senior year, which I also want to avoid.
Are statewide examinations different from nationally administered ones? (Is the curve set by the state then?)
Can scores from statewide examinations be waived?
How does score choice work for ACT? (Especially at colleges where all scores are required.)
How can the state/school district FORCE you to do anything, especially take the ACT? This seems ridiculous. My school administers the PSAT and PLAN, encouraging students to take them, but if a student missed school during testing day, that would be that.
You could skip the administration, and then they’d have no choice but to disallow you from the examination (or you’d likely score very well, with some help)
It would be helpful if you could post more information.
Either way, April is quite a long ways from now, and you have plenty of time to practice. This could be a great opportunity to get the ACT out of the way.
I took the ACT in June, but could’ve in April with similar results.
Well I mean its free, so I think it is a good idea for it to be the first one you take[not counting practice test of course].
No the test are not different(IL has the PSAE which includes taking the ACT).
This is a blessing in disguise, instead of taking some poorly designed test that won’t help you in the least, you’ll be able to take a poorly designed test that will help you get into college, gain scholarships, and maybe entrance in summer programs.
Also @crtexxx all states are required to administer a standardized test to students due to the No Child Left Behind Policy, so as I stated above it’s only logical to give students a test they have to take in for college entrance anywho.
My school did that this year, and it was awful because I already had a high score. I guess you could just not show up like they said but you haven’t taken it so why not use this opportunity.
@crtexxx The state is actually mandating that all juniors take the ACT during the statewide administration to qualify for graduation. They’re doing this to remove the state assessments for graduation.
Skipping the administration would supposedly prevent me from graduating, and there is also a make up day, which makes being sick both days kinda suspicious. Since my year will be the first year with this new policy, loopholes and/or exceptions are not well known yet. @QuadMaster The thing is, I had planned to take it once in the fall of my junior year and be done with it. I’m fairly confident in my ability to get a score I’m happy with on my first try (I took the ACT in eighth grade for a talent search and was tempted to save the score for college admissions purposes… And I’m sure I’ve naturally improved since then too.). This new requirement doesn’t really help me by substituting a useless test with a college admissions test; I was going to take the ACT anyway and this just limits my freedom in choosing how I do so. @Co1ton That is exactly what I’m afraid of. (Also the fact that I might be taking it earlier than I want to; April is definitely not when I want to take it.)
I’ve done a little research (more like a quick google) and apparently multiple states are enforcing this policy.
All I can say is that you could turn this unfortunate situation into an advantage by preparing and performing well on this April exam.
Also, if you don’t drastically underperform, you could simply take the ACT again, and score choice or not, colleges will have an accurate evaluation of your test taking skills
@crtexxx I could, but it overlaps SIGNIFICANTLY with my extracurriculars and academic priorities.
I was really hoping for a one-and-done for the ACT. If I take the mandatory statewide test, it’ll most likely be the first time I take it (with the score actually counting) and hopefully the last.
During my junior year, around this time, our school closed for many days due to snow. I was taking all AP classes, and there was just no way for our teachers (who are pretty good, but this was too much) to teach us the material and keep us on schedule for the AP exam…
so they told us (through email) to study it by ourselves…then we took loads of assessments when school reopened again… anyways, that wasn’t a very fun 1.5 quarters, grade/stress wise.
Anyways, I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes unfortunate things happen, especially with high school, and you simply have to get past them, and survive.
If you work SIGNIFICANTLY harder, I can still see you taking advantage of this opportunity.
But again, it’s April. Things may change. So wait and see, and maybe it won’t be so bad.
@Woandering I’m assuming the school needs the score to report to the state Board.
Take one before the state mandated one. If you score well, don’t worry too much on your state mandated one. If you want to improve, great you have a second chance to do it.
Is there a minimum score to graduate? It sounds like they don’t care if you even make a 4 on it. When my state switched to common core, the experimental group’s scores didn’t really matter on graduation.
It wouldn’t really matter if schools you apply to sees it because you can send them a better score.
ACT is annoying but it’s only 4 hours. I’d go ahead with your plan despite the annoying speed bump.
@Woandering I was wondering this too. With the SAT, I know you have the option of cancelling your score immediately after taking it. If that’s an option for the state mandated ACT, I could just do that. However, I don’t feel like it will be an option. @Athana I don’t believe there’s a minimum score to graduate. I remember reading a parent’s complaint about how this only serves to lower standards by removing benchmarks for graduation.
Don’t do that. Waste of a free test. Study before and try your best the first time. No point in “not studying” to get a “baseline” score.
Also keep in mind on state-wide exams I don’t think they include writing. If the schools you are applying to require the writing section on the ACT be sure to take it again with it. Although your state-wide test may include it. Not sure.
@DigitalKing in normal tests you can have your test not graded during the test (the proctor will say this).
If you’re that dead set on not taking it, ask administration if you can use a previous score for your graduation requirement. Don’t cancel scores or whatever without asking anyone what would happen. You might have to take it again in your senior year. Your state might even make you pay for a second one.
Honestly I’m confused what the problem is, this is a free test in a testing environment you should be comfortable in(I’m assuming they’re making you take it at your school), not to mention it’s a day off of school vs a lost saturday morning.
My school did this last year. All 660 of us were in the same room, two to a table. It was an awful environment, and it took significantly longer to get our scores. The only kid who got out of it was a guy who’d already made a 36, and he had to jump through a lot of hoops. If I were you I’d ask about how the school plans to administer the test so you can determine how comfortable you’d be. Go ahead and see if there might be a way out of it (in case you get a high score at an earlier date).
@Ctesiphon It does include writing, thankfully. @Athana I mentioned my concerns to my counselor, but she said I would still have to take the test regardless. I actually wouldn’t mind taking it my senior year (there’s no benchmark to graduate as far as I know, so if I took it in my senior year - after it mattered for college admissions purposes - I would have absolutely no pressure to do well). @QuadMaster Actually, I absolutely hate the testing environment at my school. I take most standardized tests at a different high school (mainly for availability reasons; the SAT isn’t offered at my school). Also, my school didn’t turn off the bell system during the PSAT this year, which was extremely annoying. @Psithurisma That sounds like a horrible test taking environment. I really don’t want to be in that scenario - already having gotten a 35/36 and being forced to take it again.
Should I bother trying to contact the state administration people? No one seems to know about any loopholes/exceptions at them moment. Also, what could they possibly do if I were sick on the day of the exam and the make-up date? I find it hard to believe there wouldn’t be another assessment to graduate…
@DigitalKing I think it’s a good idea to talk to the state administrators.
Make up some excuse like a trip planned long in advance. I imagine they’ll let you after enough pleading. This new policy seems to be for helping lower income kids.
I’d be surprised if ACT would allow bells to run during testing. They’re very strict. My first test was disqualified because of testing on the wrong date (it was post poned due to weather.)
Yeah I understand bad test sites. I had to take my last ACT on a desk that is smaller than a copy paper. I had to use 2 desks to take it.
The guy at my school got out of it by going to the college counselor (not just regular guidance counselor) who frequently appeals to the board of education to help get top students out of silly requirements. The whole process took two weeks and a lot of phone calls.
You can try, but if your school hasn’t gotten kids out of graduation requirements before, it probably won’t happen. You can take it, trying as hard as you normally would. If the score is lower than your first one, you can just ask for your GC to mention that it was required in your recommendation. As long as your score doesn’t drop ridiculously (like into the 20s), I think you’ll be fine.
I wouldn’t risk being “sick” every time it’s given. Since you have no precedent to compare, you don’t know how serious the consequences might be. Taking the ACT one more time is better than skipping at the risk of not graduating.