ACT for all

Suzie Cavalier, Staff Writer

For the past decade, graduating seniors have been required to take statewide GRAD tests in order to receive their diploma. These tests highlighted their knowledge in reading, writing, and math. However, this is no longer the case. The Minnesota Department of Education has now replaced the GRAD tests, instead requiring that students take the ACT. Unlike the GRAD tests, students do not need to pass the ACT – only take the exam.

The State of Minnesota is expected to pay 13.5 million dollars over the next four years to fund this dramatic change. The money will pay both for practice exams and the real ACT. Students who plan to go to college will likely take the ACT again to improve their scores, but on their own dime.

But does taking the ACT really show a student’s true comprehension of a subject? The Department of Education released a short study (three months after MN signed off on the contract with ACT) that claimed the ACT did not align with state education standards. Therefore, in addition to taking the ACT, students will also have to take the MCAs in reading, math, and science.

School leaders and parents are now listing concerns over this sudden change. Their main argument is that students won’t take the ACT seriously if there isn’t a requirement to perform well. Thus, instead of instilling the idea of studying to do well on an exam, schools are preaching the exact opposite.

This new ACT requirement could continue to affect kids even as they begin to pursue careers. According to an Executive Director for the Minnesota Business Partnership, “Every other state is raising standards, raising the bar. In Minnesota now, you could perform very badly and you’re still going to get a high school diploma. If you’re an employer in Minnesota that’s not good because you have no idea if these kids are competent when they are coming to work for you.”

Will all this additional prep work required by the state actually improve education in Minnesota? All the tests required to graduate are rapidly taking up time in the school year and schools only have a limited number of instructional days.

Requiring the ACT has brought about changes for everyone. Few people are looking to see the positive side. The new requirement takes up valuable school days and doesn’t truly measure a student’s comprehension of a subject, plus it has been publicly stated that it doesn’t align with state educational standards for graduation. In a school like Minnetonka, a vast majority of students take the ACT test at least once, if not multiple times, showing that not all schools will benefit from a requirement. Will the ACT requirement be beneficial for Minnetonka, or will it simply be a waste of time?