ACT Changes Policy, Students Are Pleased With New Rules

A new policy regarding the ACT has been introduced. The policy states that students are now able to retake specific sections of the test, whereas before once a student got their score, they would have to retake the entire test to improve their scores.

“I think that having the ability to retake just certain portions of the test and being able to focus on that is going to be a benefit for them,” English teacher Ashly Johnston said.

Students are having overwhelmingly positive reactions to this policy, knowing that they may have a better academic opportunities that stem from this in the coming years.

“This new policy allows students who excel in one area to improve their scores in their weaker subjects,” junior Ruth Hellman said.

While students are jumping for joy at the chance to retake certain sections of the test, teachers are concerned about how this drastic change will alter how colleges determine scholarships.

“I have mixed thoughts about this new policy because while I think it’s great for students to be able to retake portions of the test, I think it’s going to have some negative repercussions,” Johnston said. “Because colleges are going to be required to either increase the scores at which they give scholarships, or they’re not going to allow those retakes to be considered for scholarships.”

While the policy has its pros and cons, students widely intend to take full advantage of the policy and work through the kinks of the system.

“Personally, I plan to take advantage of this policy in order to raise my super scores for colleges that consider them,” Hellman said. The only downside to this policy is that some colleges only accept composite scores, regardless of super scores.”