ACT Ousted
The ACT is no longer the State of Michigan’s required high school assessment. Instead, SAT will become the new standardized high school assessment in 2016.
The Michigan Department of Education announced the three-year, $17.1-million, contract, last Wednesday. A Joint Evaluation Committee scored a proposal from SAT producer, College Board, higher and $15 million cheaper, over a three-year-period, than the ACT.
The announcement brings an end to the ACT’s tenure as the state’s standardized exam, which began in 2007 when it overthrew the MEAP exam.
All is not lost for the ACT, however. A three-year, $12.2 million, contract ensures the ACT WorkKeys examination, which assesses workplace readiness skills, will continue to be distributed in Michigan high schools.
Both ACT and SAT scores are accepted by Michigan colleges. However, each exam is structured, timed, and scored differently. For example, the ACT has four sections, one optional writing section and is scored from zero to 36.
Whereas, the SAT has 10 sections, a mandatory writing section and no science assessment portion. Scores range from 200 to 800.
The ACT has appealed last week’s decision to make the SAT the state’s standardized high school assessment, calling College Board’s bid, “Improper.”
