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Wondering how the new Common Core standards will affect the ACT, if at all?

Find out how the ACT could reflect the new Common Core standards, and how that will affect studying for the test.

The Relationship Between the ACT and the Common Core

This is what ACT, Inc. officially has to say about the Common Core:

"Since ACT Aspire was under development prior to the release of the Common Core State Standards, ACT Aspire was not designed to directly measure progress toward those standards. However, since ACT data, empirical research, and subject matter expertise about what constitutes college and career readiness was lent to the Common Core development effort, significant overlap exists between the CCSS and the college and career readiness constructs that ACT Aspire and the ACT measure."

Talk about dancing around the issue! According to this quote, the ACT is aligned to the Common Core standards since the CC standards were partially based on ACT's research about "college and career readiness." (Indeed, the ACT was part of the group who designed the Common Core.) So yes, the ACT is at least partially aligned to Common Core.

So why not say so directly? It's because the ACT doesn’t want to say the Common Core was a big motivator for any test changes since the standards have been controversial. Since not everyone supports the Common Core, ACT Inc. can't be 100% behind it. Nonetheless, they still want the ACT to fit with the Common Core standards, which have been adopted by 44 states out of 50 and are a major part of the American education system.

Though ACT, Inc. is hesitant to just say "the ACT is aligned with the Common Core," the end result is the same: the ACT at least partially reflects the Common Core standards. But what does that mean for the test itself?

Are the Recent ACT Changes Common Core-Inspired?

As you may know, the ACT has been undergoing some slight changes lately. The goal of these changes is to make the ACT more rigorous so it can better reflect "college and career readiness." College and career readiness is also a major goal of the Common Core. Since both the Common Core and the ACT have the same goal, it's not surprising some of the recent ACT changes seem to bring the test more in line with Common Core standards.

What exactly are the changes to the ACT? The new essay might be the most dramatic change. The new essay is longer and focuses on evaluating evidence, rather than speaking from personal experience, which is a hallmark of Common Core English standards. Check out an example of an old and new essay prompt below to see what we mean:

Prompt via Preparing for the ACT, 2013-14.

Prompt via Preparing for the ACT, 2015-16.

The first prompt simply required you to take a position on an issue and explain your position with reasons and examples. But the new prompt requires you to evaluate the three different perspectives, explain your own perspective, and also explain "the relationship between your perspective and those given." So you have to be much more aware of other points of view and be able to synthesize and explain them.

This more complex essay task reflects the Common Core English standards, which require students to evaluate different perspectives and analyze them in writing.

Aside from the new essay, there are a few other ACT changes. The science section has evolved – there are more multi-part questions and inferences you have to make from the data, which reflects the Common Core’s standards relating to data analysis.

It’s worth nothing that the ACT Reading section has drawn from multiple disciplines for years – Literature, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science – which is a Common Core English standard. But ACT Reading sometimes has “compare two passages” questions now, which are more complex and relate to the Common Core’s goal to have students evaluate and compare evidence.

The ACT Math and English sections, on the other hand, are pretty much the same.

The ACT’s Math section still looks like old, pre-Common Core math. It still asks 60 questions in 60 minutes, allows you to use a calculator the whole time, and tests a wide variety of topics, from Pre-Algebra through Trigonometry.

The English section still relies mainly on knowledge of grammar rules and English conventions, and is less concerned with the research, communication, and digital literacy skills that the Common Core emphasizes.

In short, ACT English and Math have not changed to reflect the Common Core. So while the recent changes to the ACT do seem to mostly fit with Common Core standards, the changes aren’t overwhelming. Plenty of the test is still "pre-Common Core."

ACT Aspire

While the ACT hasn't changed dramatically, the old pre-ACT test, the Plan, morphed into something called Aspire. ACT Aspire was designed to be able to test the Common Core standards, unlike the ACT. However, I wouldn’t stress about this test – it’s given to measure your school’s progress. ACT Aspire will never be used for college admissions, and your score won't affect your grades.

ACT Aspire uses a variety of question formats (like short answer, reorganizing a list, or selecting multiple answers) as opposed to just multiple choice, which is what the plain old ACT uses. Multiple question types is a feature of many other Common Core standardized tests, like PARCC and Smarter Balanced.

Aspire is designed for yearly testing from third to tenth grade to show and monitor progress. This approach allows schools to get yearly check-ins on students' progress, which in turn allows them to see if they're meeting the Common Core yearly goals. Aspire also uses texts from a variety of sources and has many questions across the sections about analyzing data, which also fits under the Common Core standards.

You can read more about Aspire and how it’s different from the ACT if your school is using it or you want to learn more about it. But again, we don't think you need to worry too much about Aspire. Even though it's aligned with Common Core, at the end of the day it's not a very important test for you.

Advice if You're Taking the ACT

Even though there are some Common Core-inspired changes on the ACT, you shouldn't overhaul your study plan because of that. You should just focus on studying for the ACT.

There's no substitute for putting the time in.

The ACT is still a multiple-choice test where your ability to time yourself carefully, use process of elimination, and understand the question will help you succeed. Common Core elements like being “digitally literate” or doing applied problem solving in math won't help you here.

In fact, if anything, the fact that some elements of the ACT are aligned with Common Core could make the test a bit easier. If you're living in a Common Core state, you will be working on Common Core elements, like explicitly looking for evidence in your reading, in class. This will help prepare you for the Common Core-inspired changes on the ACT, including the new essay.

You can read more about studying for the harder ACT here.

What’s Next?

Get even more ACT study resources – including our famous guides to ACT Science, ACT Reading, and ACT English.

Get some study tips from our resident perfect 36 scorer. Even if you’re not going for a perfect 36, these skills will give you the boost you need to get to your target score. We also recommend learning about procrastination, and how to avoid it when studying for the ACT!

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