Funding for free ACT tests for juniors cut; vouchers remain for low-income students

The ACT college readiness exam no longer will be offered for free automatically to Missouri high-school juniors.

Last week, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens signed a $4 million cut to education-evaluation funding, which made the free ACT program possible.

Ed Colby, ACT spokesman, said while Missouri's state program, which began in 2015, is ending, other options are available.

Individual districts can sign up, Colby said, although the district would need to have the budget for that.

"Students can register and take the ACT on their own," Colby said, and fee vouchers are available for students from low-income families to take the ACT up to two times.

"One of the nice things about the statewide program is all students get to take it," Colby said. "It helps increase access to college, particularly for students who might not have considered taking the ACT or going to college, who felt like they could not afford it."

Colby said the fee for the ACT is $46, or with the optional writing test, a total of $62.50.

Matt Lacy, Jackson School District's assistant superintendent, said the district has not made an official decision.

"Obviously, there are a lot of advantages" to students who wish to take the ACT during their junior year, Lacy said, "and unfortunately, the state can't continue to fund that."

This is still new information, Lacy added.

"The state just notified us on July 7, so we're just looking at getting more information," Lacy said.

Lacy said certain waivers and grants are available to low-income students.

"We want to investigate all options and make a decision from there," Lacy said, "weigh our options and see what's best for our students."

Tony Robinson, deputy superintendent of secondary education for the Cape Girardeau School District, said there is no official district position, but the administration is exploring options.

"We want to see what additional resources are out there to help us continue the practice," Robinson added. "We value it. We believe it helps our students, and it helps us continue to improve instruction and how we support our students moving into post-secondary education."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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