Optional Writing Test to Be Added to the ACT Assessment

The addition of an optional writing component follows a move by the University of California (UC) system to require a writing sample of students seeking admission. No other changes will be made to the current ACT Assessment since it already meets the requirements of the University of California and other postsecondary institutions.

“There are two primary reasons we thought it important to provide this choice,” said ACT CEO Richard L. Ferguson. “We absolutely agree it’s important that students write well and we believe it’s important to acknowledge the varying needs and requirements of postsecondary institutions across the country. But our consultation with colleges and universities indicates that not all want or need a writing assessment as part of the ACT Assessment. Many institutions already offer, and prefer, their own writing tests. Equally important, we do not wish to require students to pay a higher fee for testing they may not need—depending upon the admissions requirements at the schools to which they apply.”

Although the ACT Assessment does not currently include a writing component, ACT has more than 25 years experience developing and administering writing assessments. In developing the new optional writing test, staff will follow the methodology used for the other tests in the ACT Assessment: an inclusive, broad-based curriculum survey of the nation’s high schools and colleges to determine the writing skills being taught in high school and those expected of first-year college students. The writing assessment will be extensively field tested before its introduction in the 2004-05 school year.