Some cracks have begun to show in the ACT’s summer testing plans, as the organization strongly implied yesterday what many people already suspected: that cancellations and test-center closings are likely for the June 13 test date, which up until now was scheduled to go ahead as planned. In a statement released on their website, the ACT announced that they will “notify students and announce all test center closings and cancelations for the June 13 test date” during the week of 5/26. We’re here to break down the most important takeaways from this statement.
1) This is not a blanket cancellation of the June 13 test date. The ACT made a point of mentioning that they are “preparing to support test centers who are cleared to administer the ACT on June 13” and reiterated that they’re “monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, state government, and local public health guidelines.” This very intentionally leaves the door open for the test to be administered in some parts of the country if it can be done safely – I’ll let you decide whether you want to call this approach optimistic or misguided.
2) Even after May 26, things will almost certainly still be in flux. The ACT covered their bases by cautioning that “testing at any test center is subject to change at any time between now and June 13.” As Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, “only a Sith deals in absolutes”, and it’s clear that the ‘final decision’ made the week of 5/26 may very well not be all that final. Students should monitor the status of their test centers right up until the morning of June 13.
3) Students should be on the lookout for communications from both their test centers and the ACT. The testing organization committed in their statement to proactively reaching out to students with any June testing updates, and they underlined that students may also receive information directly from the schools at which they’re scheduled to test. Even so, the best thing that you can do is attempt to stay on top of the situation yourself by monitoring ACT.org, the ACT’s social media feeds, and your test center’s website.
4) A student registered for the June test may shift their registration to July at any time without paying a fee. If you don’t love the idea of not knowing for sure whether you’ll be testing until 11:59pm the night before, you can opt to give up on the June test and reserve a spot for the July 18 test free of charge by logging into your account on ACT.org. Students can also use their ACT accounts to change their test center locations without being charged a fee.
And that’s what I’ve got for you today. We’ll continue to do our best to keep you in the loop, so check back frequently for any updates. In the meantime, stay safe, be well, and please, no matter what anybody tells you, don’t drink bleach.
