Students allowed to replace Smarter Balanced with ACT

BILLINGS — Montana will let high school juniors take the ACT instead of Smarter Balanced exams to fulfill national testing mandates this year.

The Billings Gazette reports that the Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau announced the change when releasing results from the glitch-prone Smarter Balanced exams. Some state Board of Public Education members criticized Juneau in January for not communicating with them first.

State releases school assessment results with caution

But the board still backed Juneau’s plan at its Thursday meeting.

The ACT is typically used as an indicator of college readiness. The exam isn’t aligned to Montana standards like the Smarter Balanced tests are.

Chairwoman Sharon Carroll says the board will continue to examine testing rules and authority at subsequent meetings.