OSDE invests $2.5 million to give students extra opportunity to take ACT, SAT this fall

OK State Dept of Ed sent this bulletin at 09/09/2021 02:09 PM CDT
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Press Release State Seal

Carrie Burkhart
Director of Communications
(405) 521-3371, c: (405) 760-7881
carrie.burkhart@sde.ok.gov

Erin Corbin
Communications Specialist
(405) 521-3375
erin.corbin@sde.ok.gov

Annette Price
Communications Specialist
(405) 521-6647
annette.price@sde.ok.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OSDE invests $2.5 million to give students extra opportunity to take ACT, SAT this fall  

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 9, 2021) – The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is using a portion of its federal relief funding to provide public school sophomores, juniors and seniors an extra opportunity to take college and career readiness assessments. The ACT, SAT and/or PSAT will be given at no cost in October.   

“The pandemic has disrupted many students’ opportunities to take or re-take these valuable tests,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “We know that students who take the test more than once often improve their scores and, accordingly, their access to college. We are excited to offer them the chance to improve their score or set a baseline to improve upon this coming spring.” 

Normally, high school juniors take the ACT or SAT in the spring as part of the state assessments. In 2016, the OSDE eliminated seven high-stakes end-of-instruction exams, and in 2018, began giving the ACT or SAT to fulfill federal and state requirements. The fall testing opportunity will not impact school accountability or the Oklahoma School Report Card. 

The fall tests are optional for students, but districts must opt in and order the tests by Sept. 15, for the SAT/PSAT and  Sept. 24, for the ACT. The following students are eligible for each fall test: 

  • PSAT: 10th and 11th grade  
  • SAT: 11th and 12th grade
  • ACT: 10th, 11th and 12th grade

Students may take more than one assessment within an eligible grade but may not re-take the same exam during the fall testing opportunity. 

To learn more about the Fall College and Career Readiness initiative, see the FAQ document. The initiative is a component of Ready Together Oklahoma: An Action Plan for Supporting Students Through the Pandemic and Beyond. The OSDE launched the recovery plan in May with a growing portfolio of online resources to support schools as they leverage the best uses of federal relief funds.   

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