Whoever said perfection was not attainable hasn’t met this teen! Mastering a feat not accomplished by many (less than one percent to be exact), Mario Hoover can now add “perfect ACT score,” to his list of accomplishments per reports from ABC7 Chicago. “It’s amazing,” he shared. “When I first saw the score, I was surprised. I was exalted, astounded.” The ACT is a standardized test that measures students’ skills in five core areas that include English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing, which is an optional portion of the exam. The test is given to students who are juniors and seniors who can then submit their scores to colleges as a part of the application process. They are given 45 minutes to answer 75 questions.
The Harvard Political Review raised questions recently about the fact that two of the most prominent college entrance exams, the ACT and the SAT, are now offering digital versions of the classic exams — and what that means for those affected by the digital divide that still exists. Although our world is shifting to a digital-first reality, the fact of the matter is that not all students have the same access to technology or the same level of digital reading comprehension. Therefore reading and executing the test on a computer can pose a larger challenge for some students than others. In general, research shows that digital reading tests differ from reading on paper because our brains engage in a different way, making it so we don’t engage with reading the same across platforms. Because of the ways many schools are evaluated based on test scores, this might also suggest that the change could force some schools scrambling to focus on sharpening students’ computer skills immediately....