ACT testing could help with exit exam issues
Gov. Phil Bryant’s proposal to pay for the American College Test on a “piloted basis” for high school seniors as part of their exit exams is a good idea because it could lead to all Mississippi seniors taking the widely used college entrance exam as a measure of what they have learned – and where strengthening is required.
Bryant’s proposal is part of his 2015 executive budget proposal, seeking a $1.5 million appropriation that would allow high schools to pay for and administer the ACT during the school week. Such a change would allow for more control by local school districts of when students take the test and also make it easier for the state to gather the data for use in its accountability model.
The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, our state’s two largest universities, both use an ACT minimum score of 16 as the test-score base line for admission, combined with a specific minimum grade point average and specific numbers of units in the basic high school disciplines.
Daily Journal
11/17
