Summary: On Wednesday, the ACT’s research division released a statement about the effects of test prep. The statement is a direct attack on the College Board’s recent press release touting the positive impact of preparing for the SAT via Khan Academy. In it’s own statement the ACT’s statement highlights numerous problems with the College Board’s press release. Specifically, the ACT notes that the CB hasn’t released the data or methodology of its study for independent corroboration. The ACT seconds many of the concerns highlighted in an Inside Higher Ed article we discussed last month. The statement also relies heavily on a 2009 NACAC study that “suggest[ed] that short-term test prep activities, while they may be helpful, do not produce large increases in college admission test scores.”
What This Means: The ACT is gunning hard for the SAT in this statement. It specifically targets SAT prep through College Board’s approved tech platform, Khan Academy, one area in which the SAT has far outperformed the ACT. We’re looking forward to how the ACT maintains or changes its claims when it releases its own personalized test prep tools.
What the Research Says About the Effects of Test Prep (ACT)
Summary: The ACT released details on its new supports for English Language Learners (ELL) taking the exam in the U.S. starting this fall. Students enrolled “in a local school district’s English learners (EL) program who meet the current definitions of an English learner under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)” are the only students eligible for these accommodations. Possible accommodations include:
If your student may qualify for these accommodations, he must reach out to the staff member at his school responsible for ACT accommodation requests. Only these staff members may complete the process for accommodation requests.
What This Means:
ACT Policy for Supporting English Learners (ACT)
Summary: Last week, GMAC, the maker of the GMAT exam, announced that students will now be able to decide which order they want the sections of the exam to appear on the test. Students will make their decision when they arrive at the test center. There will be three options for the order of the sections:
The order you decide will not show up on your score report to schools. Known as “Select Section Order,” the new feature is available for all GMAT takers starting July 11 (domestically and internationally). In its press release, the GMAC noted that in its 2016 study of the new feature “85 percent of participants surveyed express[ed] that this new feature boosted their confidence prior to even taking the exam” without affecting the validity of scores or of the exam itself.
What This Means:
New GMAT Exam Feature Offers Greater Control and Flexibility (GMAC)
Summary: ACT had a tough few weeks with problems at a few of its test sites. Nearly 1500 students in Tennessee (3% of all Tennessee schools that gave the ACT) and 1300 students in Ohio (1% of all schools in Ohio) almost had their scores invalidated. In those two states, students were given the wrong version of the exam at their test centers. At first, the ACT said students could retake the exam for free in October but that their April tests would not be scored. After numerous complaints, ACT decided that the April scores would stand. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, 125 answer sheets from University High School have gone missing for the April ACT. The school mailed the students’ bubble sheets, but the sheets never arrived at the ACT scoring center. The affected students have the option of retaking the test for free at anytime and using either score if their missing bubble sheets turn up.
What This Means:
ACT Agrees to Provide Scores for Students Caught in Testing Snafu (Ed Week)
Where's My Score? About 125 ACT Tests Get Lost in L.A. (Los Angeles Times)