Approximately 6,000 Students Took Online Version of the ACT in Recent Weeks

Iowa City, Iowa —ACT officially launched the online version of the ACT® test for its state and district testing program this past month. Approximately 6,000 high school students across the United States took the ACT on a computer at national test centers and in high school classrooms over the past few weeks, earning college-reportable scores.

“The administration of the online ACT went smoothly,” said Jon Erickson, ACT president. “We are very excited about the results and the continued growth and development of our online ACT program. ACT’s goal is to increase student access to higher education, and we believe technology will be a valuable tool in helping us to reach this goal.”

It was the second time that ACT has administered the test in an online format with college-reportable scores. Approximately 4,000 students took the online version a year ago in a pilot administration.

“We learned a great deal from last year’s successful pilot, and we applied those lessons to help fine tune the online experience for examinees,” said Erickson. ”This is part of ACT’s efforts to continuously improve our programs on a measured, gradual basis to avoid radical changes for students.”

The content of the online exam was the same as that of the paper-and-pencil version, and students’ scores will mean the same in terms of level of achievement for this administration.

“We aren’t changing the curriculum-based content of the ACT test,” said Erickson. “We’re simply providing another way to take the exam, employing the advanced technology that most students are accustomed to using on a daily basis.”

The online ACT will initially be offered on an optional basis only to high schools that administer the exam to all students as part of their districtwide or statewide assessment programs. It will not be offered on the ACT national, Saturday morning test dates at this time. Delivery of the online ACT for statewide and districtwide testing will be expanded next spring.

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.