By Joe Ragusa
BLOOMINGTON – The state is moving from the ACT to the SAT but there’s uncertainty over what college entrance exam, if any, will be administered to high school juniors in the Twin Cities this spring.
Both District 87 and Unit 5 have no contract in place to administer either test and unless the state passes a budget that includes funding for either the ACT or the SAT, students will have to pay for the test on their own.
District 87 superintendent Barry Reilly said both administrators and students will notice some differences in the SAT but it’s not a drastic change.
“I don’t think it fundamentally means much of anything,” Reilly said. “I think that you’ll still have students who will prepare for a college entrance exam, whether it’s the ACT or SAT. There will be opportunities to do that, whether it’s offered in schools or on national test dates.”
Reilly said before the state started covering the cost of the ACT 15 years ago, it was normal for students to pay for their own college entrance exams.
The state’s move to the SAT isn’t final until a formal protest by the ACT is resolved.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at joe.ragusa@cumulus.com.
