ACT no longer mandated for Minnesota public schools
Sep 21, 2015
On April 28, 2014, the ACT was given as a free, required test for juniors. However, lawmakers have ended this program.
The ACT is more popular than the SAT in Minnesota.
According to mprnews.org, lawmakers cut the Minnesota Department of Education budget for the next two years to $28 million from $42 million. Because of the cuts, the ACT will still be offered as a free test but will need to be specifically requested by the student.
While counselors have not been informed of the recent changes by the state, Denise Nohlquist, guidance counselor, believes that HHS will not be affected by the new law.
“It’s still going to be provided with no cost, but it will not be required. However, the process will be different because of the new law,” Nohlquist said.
According to Nohlquist, in addition to the requirement change, all students will be in the building while juniors are taking the test.
This has been a challenge for other high schools that scheduled the ACT last spring.
The ACT was a graduation requirement for the class of 2016. However, the new law change ensures that the class of 2017 will not need to take the ACT in order to graduate.
The next free ACT is scheduled for April 2016.