So you're probably aware, there have been more ACT changes in the last five years than probably any five year period in the last 20. What I want to do in this video is just unlock a few of those changes and show you which ones matter most, and what you need to know about them.

On the ACT test, the three things that are most significant changed are: first, the reading test. So when you look at the ACT reading test, what you're going to find is a transition where one, at least one of the reading passages is now split into two passages. So what you have there is the students are now required to synthesize both passages, and then compare and contrast in that passage. One thing to think about, if you're looking at classroom work, is how can we have students on a regular basis compare and contrast and synthesize different pieces of information and context together?

The second big change to the ACT is in science. When you're looking at the science test, the main thing that's different here is predictability. It used to be a very predictable test, but now it's less predictable in knowing how many questions per passage there are, and even exactly which kinds of passages and how many passages there will be on the science test. One of the other changes, though the ACT hasn't said it publicly yet it's a trend we've been noticing, is that students are actually required to have slightly more outside science knowledge than they used to have to have. It's just something to think about as you're looking at the science test to keep in mind.

Finally the third big change and shift is how it's scored. Saying how it's scored is not even accurate, because it's really just a representation of scores and how they look. So instead of sub scores, the ACT now releases reporting categories. So there are percentile ratings for each students' reporting categories, and these are related directly with the college and career readiness standards that the ACT releases. So if you're at all familiar with that language, you're going to see very similar language in the reported categories. And they also have released a stem score, which was never the case before. We all know how important stem is in the world of education these days, and so they've combined the math and science ACT score and created a stem score for every student on the national test.

Here's the deal, at the end of the day, these changes are more in relationship to the form of the test than the function of the test. Other than the slight slip split passage change on the reading, there's really no major change and so just keep doing what you've always done and help your students in the content areas that you're equipped to help them in and push them to get help in strategic elements of understanding this test and how to beat it.

 

Resources:

ACT Reading Test - http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/description-of-reading-test.html

College and Career Readiness Standards - http://www.act.org/content/act/en/college-and-career-readiness/standards.html

 

Make sure to check out the rest of our post to find even more ways to beat the ACT and reach your goals in the pursuit of college.