Requiring ACT, partner tests would benefit high schools

Alan Borsuk

With many controversies and hard decisions to come in the next few months, this may be an important and fairly easy step:

Making the ACT college entrance exam mandatory for all students across Wisconsin, along with two partner tests from ACT to be given to students earlier in high school.

One result would be to create a new system of accountability for high schools, replacing what can be a badly flawed system used now. (Wisconsin tests high school students only once, near the start of their 10th-grade year. What does that tell you about students' success and progress in high school? Not much. )

But advocates of the idea say stepping up the use of the ACT and tests known as EXPLORE and PLAN also would be valuable in helping more students, parents and educators see how kids are doing in getting ready for college and careers. The results of all three tests, especially the ones taken in ninth and 10th grade, would provide timely and effective help in guiding kids to work on weak areas and understand where their strengths are.

The state budget process will get under way in earnest in February. There will be a lot of heated advocacy over money, alternatives to conventional public schools and other issues. Republican Gov. Scott Walker has promised to be aggressive in helping charter, voucher and virtual schools, along with public schools, and his party controls the Legislature.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 23, 2012 2:13 AM
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