Among the seemingly endless drastic changes to our society, community, and educational curriculum, the 2020 ACTs that were to be administered to the juniors have been in question. Whether or not students will have to take them and when has been a large concern among juniors, and while things are still a little murky in that department, it seems as though final decisions are being considered. 

As things progress, more information is being released and decisions are being made regarding our schooling situation. The juniors were set to take the ACTs this Spring, but it’s looking as though that will not be the case this year. This year’s class of juniors may be getting off the hook in terms of standardized testing, at least for now. 

Principal Steve Thennis said students will not be required to take the ACTs. “Not this year, and the thought is [they] potentially will be administered in the fall. I know there are a lot of colleges and universities that are waiving the ACT and SAT requirements,” Thennis said. 

On the Montana government state website, a statement from The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education says, “The Office of Public Instruction and Montana University System announced today that Montana juniors will have the opportunity to take the ACT free of charge this coming fall semester of their senior year. Normally, current juniors would take the ACT in the spring as Montana’s statewide standardized test for federal accountability. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and Montana’s pending waiver request from standardized tests, it is likely that juniors will not be taking the ACT this spring.”

The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to the Montana University System Chief Academic Officers further states, “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Montana’s high schools to shift to remote learning and has delayed in-person administrations of college entrance exams, including the ACT and SAT. While Montana’s rising high school seniors will have an opportunity to take the ACT free of charge in October, institutions of higher education should take additional action to ensure that disruptions caused by COVID do not raise new barriers for Montana students looking to enter higher education.”

So the way things are looking, juniors will not be required to take the ACT test this spring, but they will have the opportunity to take it this fall for free if they desire. That clears up a lot of stress and restlessness within the junior class. Studying and preparation for this test is no longer a pressing necessity, but if you plan to take it this fall, it would be a good idea to prepare yourself.