(This story has been updated to add new information.)
High school students in Wisconsin and nationwide may see changes to their ACT scores after the testing company discovered a scoring issue with this spring’s exam.
On May 13, the company notified school district test coordinators that it would remove or reissue scores for students who took the online ACT during school-day testing this spring. Students’ composite and section scores will either remain the same or go up slightly based on their individual performance, the email said.
Students attending Milwaukee Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, may be among those affected, according to MPS spokesperson Anthony Tagliavia. The district notified students and families of the issue in an email May 18.
ACT said it removed affected students’ scores from their MyACT profiles on May 13 and would update them by June 2. ACT will also resend the new scores to any colleges, universities and scholarship organizations students selected.
Revised scores will not be lower than what was previously released, the organization said.
In a letter to the company’s CEO, state Superintendent Jill Underly said the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction plans “to begin the process of engaging contract penalties to offset the hardship your scoring issues have caused,” though she did not elaborate on what the penalties might entail.
Underly said she had “extreme disappointment with this year’s administration of the statewide ACT exam for Wisconsin students.”
The scoring issue follows ACT’s decision to remove the science portion of the standardized college admissions test from its core composite score calculation. The change, which made the science section optional for students, took effect for online testing last year and school-day testing this spring.
“While we have not yet seen individual, school, or district results, we continue to hear from local education leaders that the confluence of these decisions is causing Wisconsin’s scores to decline in a seemingly arbitrary and inconsistent fashion,” Underly said.
In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ACT CEO Steve Tapp said he understands the frustration and takes “full responsibility” for the rescoring. He said ACT’s decision to make science optional is unrelated to the issue, and the company is on track to deliver revised scores to all affected students by the end of May 22.
“ACT’s systems are designed to ensure accuracy and fairness for every student,” Tapp said. “This is an example of the systems working. We are confident these revised scores accurately reflect what affected students know and can do.”
While the Universities of Wisconsin system no longer requires ACT or SAT scores for admission, Underly said students still rely on the exams for college applications and financial awards. Wisconsin also uses ACT results in state and federal school accountability systems and to measure students’ college readiness.
State law requires all Wisconsin students in 11th grade to take the ACT. More than 92% of eligible students, or nearly 59,000 high schoolers, took the ACT in Wisconsin last school year, according to the most recent state data.
“I cannot overstate the impact these decisions are having on schools, students, and communities across our state,” Underly said. “Just as concerning is the way in which these changes were implemented, which has created confusion and frustration.”
ACT spokesperson Juan Elizondo told The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the majority of affected students nationwide are juniors or younger. Elizondo said the issue stemmed from a scoring error.
In a statement, the company said it updated its scoring process this spring but later found that results from some online state and district tests “did not align to historical outcomes or researchers’ expectations.”
According to ACT, the estimated changes may include:
Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
Kayla Huynh’s reporting is supported by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ACT scoring issue could change Wisconsin students’ test scores
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
