Moving to ACT exams up for approval

State would pay for ACT for all students, drop WKCE

MADISON, Wis. — Every high school junior in Wisconsin would take the ACT college entrance exam under a proposal up for a vote before the Legislature’s budget committee.

Gov. Scott Walker and state Superintendent Tony Evers are behind the plan the Joint Finance Committee was scheduled to consider on Wednesday.

Under the proposal, the state would pay the $50 fee for the tests. The ACT and a series of other tests 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.

The tests are aligned with new education standards.