Since the spring of 2017, all juniors in Illinois have had to take the SAT to graduate. This spring, there will be a switch to the ACT.
“The Illinois State Board of Education made this change over the summer, which then impacted Illinois public schools to also need to change to the ACT,” said OH Assistant Principal for Curriculum & Instruction Tania Sharp.
The ACT is a test similar to the SAT, but it is a little different. The ACT is broken down into four sections: English, math, reading and science. OH has made a switch over the summer, and students in grade 11 will be taking the ACT instead of the SAT starting in spring 2025. Teachers and students will prepare throughout the year so that students have nothing to worry about when it comes to this recent change in testing.
“Some ways that we can prepare our students are by taking questions from the practice test and trying to incorporate those into our lessons,” OH math teacher Molly Schulte said.
According to multiple sources, students will be as prepared to take the ACT as they were for the SAT. Teachers are preparing for this switch by making sure students are learning material that will help them through this test.
“We did [proctor] the ACT a few years ago, so I don’t think that this switch will be all that challenging or difficult for everyone to do,” said Schulte.
Considering the ACT has been taken by students here at OH in the past, this switch from SAT to ACT is nothing for students to worry about, even if there are some differences.
“The three key differences between the ACT and SAT are time, sections, and scores,” Sharp said.
The ACT is used to help students at OH reflect on what they’ve learned throughout high school, it will provide colleges and universities with information for placement and recruitment.
“Like the SAT, the ACT is designed to measure skills that are most important for post-secondary success in college, career, and the workplace that are acquired in secondary education. Teachers will embed ACT-type questions and test-taking strategies in the regular curriculum,” said Sharp.
Overall, students have resources to prepare for the ACT, and the switch shouldn’t cause any big concerns as the two tests are very similar. Resources are provided for students at OH to practice for this test throughout the year. Students can access free ACT test prep opportunities on ACT’s website.
Great news value! Great job!
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This article was very informing. I’m outta of High school but feel confident to return and take the ACT. Thanks Reporter!
I simply must share this with my children. This news is a game changer.
The article written by Miss Joslynn Hennagan was very informative and very well written. I enjoyed reading it.