The long-standing ACT college entrance exam is set to be replaced with the College Board’s SAT as the state-funded exam given to juniors in Illinois public high schools each spring. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) made this decision.

A release issued by the ISBE announced a request for new exam proposals after its contract with ACT expired on June 30, 2015. Offers from only the College Board and ACT were received, and the College Board won the bid in November.

David Boyle, coordinator of college counseling, said news regarding this switch has caused confusion and concerns among parents and students.

“A big question was whether [the SAT] would be given to juniors this year, or would we be waiting a year,” said Boyle. “One parent even asked if [the ACT] was going to be available anymore nationwide.”

Boyle said the ACT is definitely available, but there was no state-funded exam offered this year in school. Next year’s juniors will be the first class to take the free, state-funded SAT in the spring of 2017.

The ISBE’s release stated that the switch to the redesigned SAT was made because it is more aligned with Illinois Learning Standards, and it is a better tool to assess what students are learning and to determine their post-graduation level of readiness. The redesigned SAT has changed by making the essay optional, eliminating the guessing penalty and using a new scoring method.

Cost was also advantageous for the SAT, as the College Board’s estimated proposal was approximately $1.3 million less than ACT’s proposal.

Boyle said he believes the switch was mainly financially driven.

A three year contract worth $14.3 million was negotiated with the College Board, and the SAT is expected to be given at no cost to juniors in Illinois public high schools.

Greg Walker, Vice President of the Midwest Region for the College Board, said practice for the SAT is more accessible to a wider range of students, highlighting the College Board’s free, comprehensive practice program created in partnership with Khan Academy.    

Ed Colby, senior director of media and public relations for ACT, said ACT also provides a variety of free resources on its website. Low-income students can gain free access to the ACT Online Prep program, which is regularly $39.95, by getting a waiver from the school counselor, and they can also receive free access to the new ACT Kaplan Online Prep Live program created in partnership with Kaplan Test Prep that will debut in the fall.

Boyle said he suggests students of different ages consider different paths. For current juniors, he recommends staying on the ACT course and not taking the SAT unless they want to apply to the handful of schools that prefer the SAT.

He said sophomores should also consider staying with the ACT because Glenbrook North consistently performs well on it and students are more accustomed to it. If sophomores find they perform better on the SAT, send those scores to colleges. If not, send ACT scores. Regardless, he advises to choose a single test and prepare for that one because he is unsure whether preparing for both is worth the time. For freshmen or younger students, there may be a “shift in emphasis towards the SAT,” but it is too early to tell.

Ryan Bretag, associate principal for curriculum and instruction, said test dates have not been confirmed.

Worries about the impact this change may have on college admissions processes also arose, especially from parents, Boyle said.

“[Parents] hear the state is switching to the SAT, and when we say the state, we mean Illinois public high schools, not public or private institutions, and the biggest confusion is the ACT is no longer going to be accepted [by colleges],” Boyle said.

Sophomore Kevin Wang said he has taken the ACT and would have taken both tests, but his parents now want him to focus more on the SAT because of the switch.

Boyle said it is important to stay mindful that colleges did not make a preference switch, but rather the ISBE did. Most colleges do not favor one test, and since they have always dealt with both, it should not drastically change the way they determine if students are accepted to their institution because Illinois now offers the SAT.

Bretag said he is not concerned about this change and remains focused on developing the student as a whole.

“With any change, it’s how you embrace that experience that influences the outcome,” said Bretag. “If we do what we do well, the test will take care of itself.”