ACT postpones section retesting
The June ACT was far from the typical testing experience. With testing centers in 45 states practicing physical distancing and adhering to CDC guidelines, students were given a taste of the new reality of standardized testing, and it’s quite complicated.
Due to COVID-19, this testing season in general has been chaotic and stressful, to say the least. With test dates cancelled and futures uncertain, students taking the ACT now have to face a new challenge. According to the ACT’s blog, CEO Janet Godwin has decided to postpone section retesting for 2020. This means that students who already took the ACT will not be able to retake sections to improve their superscores until some time later in 2021.
According to Godwin, “Postponing the availability of section retesting for upcoming national ACT test dates will enable us to increase testing capacity for those who need to take the full ACT test...Our priority is to provide seats for those students most impacted by COVID-19-related capacity limitations who still need a composite score. This decision will also ease the burden on higher education professionals who are navigating their own unique challenges in response to the pandemic.”
While this decision was made in order to equalize the playing field, the ACT is still committed to carrying out testing in July and in the fall of 2020: “We are working with state-level officials, as well as test centers around the globe, and have asked them to provide an open/closed status update to ACT by June 24th. Students registered for the July test date can expect an update on their test center status by the end of June.”
The plans for fall of 2020 include looking into adding additional test dates, expanding test networks and providing superscoring and online testing options for selected centers. The ACT also plans to provide fee waivers and additional score reports to members of underserved communities.
What is the future of ACT testing? With online proctors, online exams, and results in two days instead of two weeks, there could be a silver lining for certain students. However, the only thing that is clear is that students will have to be vigilant and monitor the fast-changing situation to best plan for their testing.
Figuring out the best testing plan in our current crisis is a challenge. If your student is struggling, give us a call to schedule a free consultation today!
Best Regards,
Neal Schwartz, Owner
College Planning of Westchester
nschwartz@collegeplanningofwestchester.com
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