Desks are meticulously placed in a bare classroom. Students occupy them, heads in their hands and pencils continuously moving in a circular motion. A clock ticks softly behind them; multiple faces peer back at it. This is the ACT, a test designed to ‘showcase what students have learned.’ Yet, it only displays a small portion of the student’s intelligence, possibly shattering dreams and eliminating future opportunities from some. To start, the ACT only tests on minimum subjects. The test includes english, math, reading, and science with an optional writing portion. The students are given a certain amount of time to read the context of the questions and answer them all in time. Many complain about this feature. “It is a speed test. It does not test your general intelligence at all.’ Senior Madison Brown begins, “It also is not fair due to the fact that different schools focus on and require different subjects.” For example, other high schools require more credits in other subjects that take away from possible time to study and better prepare for the ACT. This dives into another complaint seniors at Carter have with the ACT. “There are only limited times each month and year to take it if you are unsatisfied with your current score,” senior Belle Gibson comments. While some may believe that the ACT allows students to demonstrate their full potential aside from grades, others do not see it the same way. Senior Kaylie Richards closes, “I understand it has always been used, but I have had to spend hundreds of dollars and hours to get my ACT high enough to be recognized for scholarships and my top colleges; perhaps, there is a better way to measure intelligence.”
Carter Corps News 