One of my first acts as a new school board director five years ago was to propose that Milwaukee Public Schools require all of its graduates take the ACT College Entrance Exam. No one in MPS had suggested this before, but today some 85 percent of MPS graduates take the ACT. Statewide the percentage is only 61 percent.
I had to keep on fighting just to keep the concept alive. Two years ago, the administration negotiated a school calendar which effectively killed the ACT. I rallied my fellow board members to reject the calendar, and incoming Superintendent Thornton forged a deal to save the ACT.
On Wednesday, Wisconsin School Superintendent Tony Evers announced that he was recommending that Wisconsin replace the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) with tests developed by the ACT. That includes ACT EXPLORE, taken in grade nine; ACT PLAN, taken in grade ten; and the ACT and WorkKeys taken in grade eleven.
The WKCE is riddled with problems. The test was written exclusively for Wisconsin which meant no comparison could be made with other states. Over half the states use the ACT as their main college entrance exam. At least 12 states use the ACT as part of their testing program, so Wisconsin will be able to measure its test results with other states.
Wisconsin will cut test development costs since the ACT tests already are nationwide. Several states do enhance the ACT with additional measures. Wisconsin would create similar enhancements.
Because the ACT is used for entrance into college, more students are likely to take the test seriously. Presently some students simply fill in the blanks on the WKCE randomly because they know there is no reward for them for doing well on the test. Reports from MPS high schools state that students take the ACT far more seriously because they know that a good score will increase their chance of getting into college and receiving scholarship money.
While the WKCE test is given in the fall, schools do not receive results until spring, so results cannot be used to identify weakness and improve instruction. The ACT results come back to the schools within a couple of weeks. The scores can be broken down by class and each individual student. A host of other reports can be generated allowing teachers to improve instruction.
We are only a few years away from all students taking these tests through online computer links. The results will be almost instantaneous, and school officials will be able to analyze the data in unlimited ways.
All signs point to approval of Evers’ proposal. Both Republicans and Democrats support the concept. MPS is well positioned to making this conversion since it already gives the ACT universally. Other school districts around the state are likely to have some of their personnel in MPS high schools this spring observing how our school system administers the test. MPS is has the expertise. And MPS is likely to save several hundred thousand dollars since the system presently pays for the ACT out of its own pocket, and Evers is recommending that the state pay for the administration of the test.
As a school board director, I supported many proposals over the last five years. A few were not the best ideas, and thankfully some were rejected. Some should have been accepted, but were rejected or half heartedly implemented. But my proposal for universal ACT has gone beyond what I expected and is now poised to become the new state standard. This is my baby, and I’ve got some pictures I want to show you.
