• ACT

    Anoka-Hennepin students in grade 11* are provided a free opportunity to take the ACT plus Writing during the school day in the spring of the year along with opportunities throughout the year at a national testing site on a Saturday. The ACT assesses student academic readiness for college, and is used by many colleges as part of the entrance criteria for admissions decisions. Students in grades 10 & 11 are given the experience of taking a practice ACT in the fall of the year, as well.

    The test is timed and covers four core subject areas: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. Each ACT subject-area test has a benchmark which represents the level of achievement needed for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding first-year college credit courses. These college courses and ACT benchmarks (listed in parentheses) include English composition (English 18), college algebra (Math 22), introductory social science course (Reading 22), and biology (Science 23).

    The ACT is a national exam used as one of the indicators of career- and college-readiness. Students are not required to meet a specific benchmark for graduation.

    The ACT takes approximately 3 hours, 35 minutes to complete. Results of the ACT are available immediately online, and the score report is mailed home to parents/guardians 3-8 weeks after testing.

    The information in the table below is from the ACT.org website and shows the number of questions and time allotted for each subject area.
     
    NOTE: Because of COVID-19, the 2019-20 juniors did not have the opportunity to take the ACT in April of 2020. These students - now seniors - will have an opportunity to take the ACT free of charge during the school day on Tuesday, October 6, 2020. The 2020-21 juniors will have an opportunity to take the ACT in Spring, 2021.
     
     Test   #questions  Minutes allowed Content 
     English  75   45  Measures standard written English and rhetorical skills.
     Mathematics  60     60 Measures mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12. 
     Reading  40   35  Measures reading comprehension. 
     Science  40   35  Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences.
     Writing  1  30  Measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. 


    For more information about the ACT and score reports go to the ACT website http://www.act.org/