With college entrance exams optional, ACT is giving students a choice

IOWA CITY — As ACT grapples with the future in a world where many colleges and universities have made college entrance exams optional, the testing organization is seeking feedback from students, families and K-12 school leaders on how they can better meet their needs.

In April, ACT — headquartered in Iowa City — announced a partnership with private equity firm Nexus Capital Management of Los Angeles.

This partnership gives ACT access to resources and talent to help it move forward in an environment where education is rapidly shifting, CEO Janet Godwin said.

“Every generation of students comes with a different vocabulary, style and things that are meaningful to them,” she said. “We can’t talk to students the way we did 20 years ago. We’ve got to change and be more personalized and relevant.”

ACT is in the middle of “a very intensive qualitative research study,” talking to students, families and other stakeholders like school counselors about what matters to them and what will help students succeed after high school.

ACT then will launch into a “very detailed quantitative study” to better understand the mindset of today’s youth and make sure the programs they offer are relevant to them, Godwin said.

Assessments show 300,000 fewer students took the SAT college entrance exam in 2023 than in 2019, and 400,000 fewer took the ACT over the same span, according to Inside Higher Education.

Public records show ACT lost nearly $61 million in 2020; $6 million in 2021; and $12 million in 2022. The last year ACT reported a surplus was in 2018, of $21.3 million.

As part of ACT’s restructuring, its east side Iowa City campus is being sold this year to Iceberg Development Group of West Des Moines, a 10-year-old firm that in the past has received state incentives for housing projects.

ACT Inc. will continue leasing space on the campus for its operations.

Test changes

ACT also is making changes to the ACT test itself.

This summer, ACT announced the science section of the college entrance exam would be optional. The English, reading and math portions of the test will remain as the core sections of the test that will result in a college-reportable score.

Like the optional writing section, science will be offered as an additional section, so students can focus on their strengths and showcase their abilities.

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“We have seen time and time again that we want to put choice in the students’ hands,” said Catherine Hofmann, ACT senior vice president of government and public relations.

“By no means does that diminish science — it’s very valuable. The science score isn’t necessarily needed, but if you’re going into STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) field, it may be important.”

The length of the test will be shortened by one-third, taking two hours compared to the previous three hours. To achieve this, the test will include shorter passages on the reading and English sections — 44 fewer questions in all — allowing students more time to answer each question thoughtfully, Hofmann said.

Broadening access to the test itself also is a priority of ACT by ensuring students have access to free testing during the school day, Hofman said.

“You’ll see us continue to find ways of bringing more choices and more options in our coming days,” Godwin said. “That’s some of the exciting product development we’re in right now and continuing that theme of flexibility.”

Remaining relevant

Godwin said the test will continue to be important to higher education. While many colleges might not require it for admissions, it can be used in course placement and to support academic advisement and scholarship administration, she said.

“Schools that may not be requiring the ACT from an admissions standpoint are still encouraging students to send scores to augment ‘How much do we know about you and how do we best serve you?’ ” Godwin said.

ACT also offers career planning tools that students can get access as early as middle school.

Godwin said 38 percent of students nationally choose going into the workforce right out of high school.

ACT, she said, wants to help ensure “they have preparation for a career that makes sense for them and the credentials that demonstrate readiness for that career path.”

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com

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