Looming Questions About a Digital SAT or ACT
The future of standardized testing will undoubtedly be digital. Less certain is when a computer- or device-based format will be distributed evenly across all assessments. Right now, many of the most popular graduate entrance exams such as the GMAT, GRE, or, most recently, LSAT have migrated to digital platforms. Certain high school entrance exams also appear in a computer-based format. But the biggest tests of all–the SAT and ACT–haven’t made the jump yet, at least not everywhere. Our March 2021 Tests and the Rest Online Summit focused on both the present state of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) and what the future might hold. What questions should we be asking (and demanding wise, equitable answers) about the inevitable digital SAT and ACT? WHEN? ACT not only anticipated widespread digital testing starting in September 2020, but predicted the exciting option of individual section retesting. College Board teased an at-home SAT option a month…
ACT Online?
Teens today do so many things on computers, tablets, and mobile devices that those tried-and-true paper and pencil tests seem downright archaic. Yet. while graduate entrance exams like the GRE and GMAT moved to computer formats long ago, the classic college entrance exams have yet to jump the digital divide. The test makers would undoubtedly prefer computer administration, but the structural and logistical barriers to error-free delivery of millions of SATs or ACTs a year have proven, at least up to now, insurmountable. But, if ACT has its way, the next AOL on the national scene may be ACT Online. The organization just announced that approximately 6,000 Students took an online version of the ACT in recent weeks: “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…