Colorado 11th graders will take the ACT exam this year.
That decision comes after the Department of Education signed an agreement for Colorado students to start taking the SAT. Some parents complained that students had been preparing for the ACT and not the SAT and the change was made just three months before the exam.
Under the new agreement, this year’s 10th-graders will take the PSAT in preparation for Colorado’s full transition to the SAT in spring 2017.
“We’re very thankful that the testing vendors were willing to work with us to create a transition year for our 11th-grade students,” said Interim Education Commissioner Elliott Asp. “Our high school juniors can take the assessment they’ve been preparing for, and we will work with districts, educators and the College Board to create a smooth transition to the SAT in 2017.”
A Colorado Department of Education selection committee decided to make the change to the PSAT and SAT saying the tests are better aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards, a requirement of new 2015 legislation.
State officials said all public colleges and universities in Colorado will continue to use both the ACT and SAT for admission and scholarship-consideration purposes.
The ACT will be administered to 11th-grade students on April 19.
Districts will have the choice of administering the PSAT on April 19 or 20.
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