Snohomish District to Pay College Entrance Exam Fee

This is the least taken test, at least in the state of Washington anyway.

Last year, 39,967 high school students took the SAT college admissions exam in this state, compared to 16,352 who completed ACT.

In the Snohomish School District, ACT - abbreviation of the American College Testing exam - is about to become much more prominent.

The district hopes to make the ACT exam available for free to all junior high school students this spring. It would be voluntary. Students can also take the SAT - short for Scholastic Aptitude Test - on their own.

The Snohomish School Board should review the ACT proposal at its meeting on December 7 at 5 pm

New District Superintendent Kent Kultgen comes from Montana, where ACT was a frequent reviewer.

He believes that the test results could be valuable to students and their families as well as the school district. I spent time with students, parents and staff who pleaded for the test.

For students and parents, the results can be made after high school. Colleges often begin to communicate with students directly after examinations, which opens up opportunities for scholarships. The results also provide information to students on their strengths and weaknesses, which can help them prepare for the SAT or other exams.

In the Snohomish School District, more than 70 per cent of graduates go to a two- or four-year college or enter an apprenticeship program, according to statistics from 2014. Kultgen believes that even more could pursue this path if they take the first step to Taking a college entrance exam.

For the school district, the results can inform decisions about curricula, requirements for graduation and how to invest money to help with education, Kultgen said. It's about finding ways to support students and teachers, "he says.

"This is a relevant test," Kultgen said. "That's what I like about it."

The exam assesses English, mathematics, reading, science and writing. It takes 3 hours and 50 minutes and would be given during a school day.

Twenty states across the nation give consideration to all their juniors for free. Nearly 2 million students in the class of 2015 nationally took the test. That's about 59 percent of all high school graduates.

In Snohomish District, 949 Glacier Summit college students, Snohomish and AIM will have the chance to take the exam, which costs $ 58.50 per student.

The district allocated $ 50,000 to the exams.

Snohomish is not the only district to pay for college entrance exams for any junior who wants to take it.

On March 1st, the Everett Public Schools will offer, free of charge, the SAT to all juniors.