Starting next fall, students will be able to retake single sections of the ACT.
The testing company announced the change earlier this week as part of a slate of new options for test-takers.
“For the first time in the 60-year history of the ACT test, students who have already taken the test will be allowed to retake individual ACT section tests (English, math, reading, science and/or writing), rather than having to take the entire ACT test again,” officials announced in a press release.
Could a video game ever replace standardized testing’s role in college admission?
Enter 27-year-old Rebecca Kantar and Imbellus Inc., her start-up that aims to reinvent testing.
Imbellus wasn’t started with the recent bribery scandal in mind, but Kantar told Bloomberg Businessweek that it is “cheatproof.”
Did you miss this week’s webinar on the new ACT/SAT concordance tables?
The hour-long program is now available on demand on NACAC’s website. Association members can access the content free of charge.
Continue reading ICYMI: Webinar on ACT/SAT Concordance Tables Available On-Demand
Free test prep materials will soon be available online for students preparing to take the ACT.
The Iowa-based testing company announced this week that it would launch ACT Academy in the spring. The platform will include video lessons, interactive practice questions, full-length practice tests, and educational games.
Each student will receive a personalized study plan based on their scores from the ACT test, the PreACT, ACT practice tests, or diagnostics completed within the ACT Academy platform.
New policies unveiled this week by ACT and The College Board will reduce the fees low-income students encounter in the college admission process.
Starting in September, students who use a fee waiver to register for the ACT will be able to send up to 20 free score reports to the institutions of their choosing. Previously, ACT test-takers were allotted only five free reports, with each additional transmission costing $13.
Under the new College Board policy — which goes into effect next spring — low-income students who take the SAT will be able to send unlimited score reports to colleges. Previously, low-income SAT test-takers were allotted up to eight free score reports, with additional transmissions costing $12 each.
Continue reading Testing Companies to Offer More Free Score Reports to Low-Income Students
In an effort to make the college application process more affordable, a growing number of US colleges and universities now allow students to self-report their test scores.
With help from counselors and students, The Princeton Review is tracking the trend. A list of institutions that accept self-reported scores is posted on the company’s blog.
Continue reading List Shows Where Students Can Self-Report Test Scores
College enrollment rates increase when high schools cover the cost of college entrance exams, new research suggests.
The finding — published by Education Finance and Policy — is based on a study of six classes of high school juniors who attended Michigan schools from 2003-04 to 2007-08. The state has required teens to take a college entrance exam since 2007.
“Overall, the policy increased the probability that students would enroll in college by about 2 percent,” according to an Education Week article about the new research. “Students at schools with higher poverty rates increased their college enrollment rates by 6 percent, and those students who had a low to middling probability of taking the ACT before the policy took effect saw their rates improve by 5 percent afterward.”
Continue reading Free ACT/SAT Exams Boost College Enrollment Rates
Could a new college admission exam be on the horizon?
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is testing the waters, according to a recent blog post published by Education Week.
The consortium — representing 15 states — oversees an online assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards. But the group is apparently looking to expand its offerings.
Continue reading Smarter Balanced Explores College Admission Testing
The ACT will soon begin offering a summer test date for college-bound students.
The Iowa-based testing company announced this week that its first summer test will take place in July 2018. The addition will bring the total number of ACT test dates offered each year from six to seven.
A new process will make it easier for students to receive accommodations on College Board exams.
Starting Jan. 1, students who are approved for testing accommodations through an Individualized Education Program or 504 Plan will automatically be cleared to have those same accommodations on College Board tests, including the SAT and Advanced Placement exams.
Officials say the move will reduce approval time and help students receive the support they need to do their best on the tests.
Continue reading College Board Streamlines Requests for Testing Accommodations
