Committee delays vote on ACT test requirement

Under proposal all 11th grade students would take the ACT

MADISON, Wis. — The Legislature’s budget committee has delayed taking a vote on whether to have every high school junior in Wisconsin take the ACT college entrance exam.

The plan by state superintendent Tony Evers and Gov. Scott Walker was before the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee for a vote Tuesday. But the Republican-controlled panel delayed taking action. It was not clear when they would take it up.

Under the proposal, a series of tests including the ACT exam for college juniors would replace the Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination starting in the 2014 school year.

All 11th grade students would take the ACT, as well as another test designed to assess job skills called WorkKeys. Students in elementary grades would take a new test being designed by a 28-state consortium that includes Wisconsin.