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 SAT vs ACT 
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Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 6:41 pm
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Location: North Wilkesboro Elementary School
Was I the only one surprised to learn about the option of taking the ACT instead of the SAT? Maybe it is because I am in an elementary setting, but even in my high school experience the ACT was never even mentioned. The SAT was pushed and still is. I asked my neice, who is a junior at a local high school, if the ACT had been given much attention as she is preparing for graduation. She said that they were given the form to fill out but nothing was ever said about it. We as educators have got to get the word out if this is truly an option. Did any of you take the ACT instead of the SAT?

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Sandra Burchette


Wed Feb 02, 2005 2:36 pm
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This is my third year in a high school and I spent nine years at the middle school level. The ACT is not mentioned to students. After listening to Dr. Turner, it should be. I am definitely going to mention it to the upcoming seniors that will not be attending and Ivy-league college. I will also ask the counselors how often they mention the ACT to students.

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Shawn Clemons
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Wed Feb 02, 2005 3:33 pm
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Post ACT
Sandra,

I asked several of my co-workers who have children in high school about the ACT. A few of them had heard about it and thought the test was given at North High. Yet, all of them had children taking the SAT. When I asked why the said because their child was encouraged to do so. I would have taken the ACT in a heart beat if I had known about it. Why are we still pushing the SAT?

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Kathy Wagoner


Thu Feb 03, 2005 3:30 pm
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Post ACT
I took the ACT in Ohio when I was a junior in high school. This is the test that is actually pushed on students that are going to apply to colleges. The SAT was the test that I was not very familiar with through out school. Kathy, I think the reason the ACT is not stressed in North Carolina is lack of knowledge based on the region. Another part of me says that there are issues with money and control. What do you think, lack of knowledge or power and control?

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Andy Palmer


Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:11 pm
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Post ACT
I was also surprised about the fact that the ACT is viewed only as a remote option. When I taught at Oak Hill Academy, the ball players that were having trouble with the SAT were encouraged to take the ACT. The rest of the students, however, always took the SAT. We even offered classes in SAT prep. This is truly a well-coordinated money game. The entire testing service has turned into a money venture. The book points out that the government contract was sought after because it meant that ETS would be on sound financial ground. If we as educators start the push for ACT over SAT, it might change the testing program for the better. I plan on joining the ACT push with my students.

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John Parsons


Fri Feb 04, 2005 7:23 am
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Sandra, I had no idea about ACT. I took the SAT. We do need to get the word out, but we need to make sure that all the scholarships are not going to just the kids who take the SAT. I'll be honest with you until I know both test are getting a fair shake at getting scholarships, my children (the ones I gave birth to and will be paying for a college education) will take the SAT.

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Sharon Shoupe


Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 am
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I'm with you...I want to see concrete data showing that students who take the ACT get the same consideration for college scholarships.

A lot of this discussion dates back many years to the geographic area of development of the ACT and SAT. ACT - West Coast, SAT - East Coast. There is a factor of familiarity that cannot be discredited.

As an example, let's take the computer keyboard layout. The one you are typing on right now is a QWERTY keyboard (named after the 6 letters on the upper left side). During the time of its invention (the typewriter I mean) another keyboard layout was also being developed, but was not marketed soon enough, or very well. The Dvorak keyboard (named after its inventor) is regarded as much easier to use and learn than the QWERTY, yet how many of you have seen, or ever heard of, a Dvorak keyboard?

My point in this example, is that just because something is better does not mean that it is more accepted, there are more factors. By the time the Dvorak keyboard was out there, people had already gotten accustomed to the QWERTY. This familiarity was much more important than other factors. I see the SAT and ACT in very similar terms.

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out the door and running...

oh by the way, this is ben!


Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:45 am
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According to the ACT website (www.act.org), approximately 1.2 million students took the ACT in 2004, which amounts to 40% of all graduating seniors. For the past few years, Colorado and Illinois have been administering this test to all students in the 11th grade, college-bound or not, as part of their testing program. The website states that the ACT is the "predominant college entrance exam in 25 states and is accepted at virtually every college and university across the nation". Competition to be admitted to the top tier universities is increasing every year and students need to be informed consumers - a student could always take both the SAT and the ACT (if they can survive it!) and submit the more positive results. It was interesting to look at the state statistics and note that only 15% of the North Carolina students took the ACT as compared to 87% of the students in Tennessee. Sandi Johnson


Sun Feb 06, 2005 1:01 am
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Sandra,
I took the ACT instead of the SAT. It was given around the same time as the PSAT in my junior year. I was encouraged to take both to practice for the "real" test. I never did take the SAT. I wonder if there are financial incentives paid to LEAS for having a certain number of students take the SAT?

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Kristine Kelley


Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:00 pm
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I was told that students who take the SAT would be on a listing for academic scholarships and that is one of the reasons the SAT is pushed. The ACT was a test I was unfamiliar until heping my daughter apply for colleges. It is not a test that is readily promoted in this area. I am wondering with Andy why is this so???

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Val Myers


Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:26 pm
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In the March 4, 2005 edition of the NY Times there was an article about the SAT vs. the ACT. According to this article, the number of East Coast students taking the ACT was up 22% over last year. One reason given was that the ACT can be taken as many times as wanted and the student chooses which colleges to send their best scores to, whereas SAT scores are sent to all colleges to which the student applies. This article reports that more students are taking both the SAT and ACT, but the SAT is still the more favored test. A College Board spokeswoman said that selective colleges still prefer the SAT. DUH! :!: This was something that a Harvard admissions officer denied in the article. He said that Harvard accepts both on an "equal basis," but the article reports that in the "current Harvard freshman class only 1 in 5 submitted ACT scores." The College Board spokeswoman said concerning the SAT, "We're the dominant test, we're the most researched test, and we're racing for the top by requiring writing." She could have been a character in The Big Test!

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Sandra Burchette


Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:44 pm
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Sandra,
I was not aware of the option. I grew up in a SAT world and I perceive the world today as being the same. Some athletes I taught took the ACT instead of the SAT after they had failed to get the minimum score on the SAT. I think it has been a very successful propaganda campaign and has made ETS a lot of money.

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John Parsons


Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:01 am
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I was not aware of taking the ACT as an option in high school. John, I agree that everything seems to be about $$.

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Shawn Clemons
Assistant Principal
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:26 am
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In reference to not knowing about the ACT, a counselor in the article admitted to not informing students and parents about the ACT because most of the students took the PSAT and were already familiar with the SAT format. That was his reasoning anyway.

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Sandra Burchette


Mon Mar 07, 2005 3:40 pm
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My niece, who is a junior at a local high school, got an invitiation to the Open House at ASU this spring. At the bottom of the invitation was a PS that reminded her of ASU's reporting code if she wanted her SAT scores sent there. Nothing at all was mentioned about ACT scores. If colleges do not even mention the ACT, then why should high schools? :?

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Sandra Burchette


Wed Mar 23, 2005 2:02 pm
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