Technology

ACT to Expand Testing by Computer

Published

9 years ago

May 8, 2015

A computer-based practice ACT English test is displayed on a computer monitor Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Washington. The ACT is announcing May 8, 2015, that computer-based testing of the ACT would be available next year in the states and districts that require students to take the ACT during the school day. About 1 million students could be affected. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — ACT test takers take note: The No. 2 pencil is losing its cachet. Greater numbers of high school students will be able to take the college entrance exam on a computer next year.

The ACT announced Friday that computer-based testing will be available next year in the 18 states and additional districts that require students, typically juniors, to take the ACT during the school day. About 1 million students could be affected.

But don’t throw away those pencils yet.

Participating schools provide the computers for testing, and ACT officials say it’s too early to predict how many schools will be ready next year to offer the online testing. Even where computer-based testing is available, ACT officials said the traditional paper test will still be an option.

The announcement follows a two-year pilot project that allowed about 10,000 high school students to take the college-placement exam by computer, laptop or tablet.

The ACT said it’s not making computer-based testing available on its traditional Saturday morning test dates largely because of the number of computers needed.

Paul Weeks, senior vice president for client relations at ACT, said the Iowa City, Iowa-based company is making the transition to online testing “thoughtfully and gradually,” so that all stakeholders can be assured that test scores on the computerized version are comparable to the paper version, which has been offered since 1959.

What won’t change? The familiar 36-point scale and the amount of time it takes for students to find out their scores, which is usually between two weeks and two months.

“There is no difference between the tests except that it’s online and that was really important to us,” said Kaitlynn Griffith, ACT’s program director.

The move to online testing is a reflection of the evolving ways students learn in classrooms and the ease at which they use computers. ACT is far from alone in making the transition to computer-based testing.

Next year, the College Board has said it will roll out the new version of the competing SAT college entrance exam and make computer-based testing an option. The SAT was once the dominant college admissions exam, but it was overtaken in popularity in 2012 by the ACT.

Computer-based testing, including standardized tests based on the Common Core standards, has led schools to upgrade Internet connectivity, make devices such as laptops or tablets available, and teach more keyboarding.

It also brings up new questions in test administration, such as in the area of cheating. While moving to online testing eliminates the ability to erase and change answers by educators, there are new issues such as the need to prevent test takers from taking screen grabs of test questions to share with others.

Weeks said the company has been grappling with these issues as it makes the transition. ACT suggests that students take a practice test on computer before taking an online test, and encourages schools that will offer the tests to go through a test preparation checklist.

Weeks said online testing could open the door for ACT to offer more modular testing, so that a student doesn’t have to take every subject on the same day.

“The best preparation for the ACT has been and continues to be taking rigorous core course,” Weeks said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re testing online or not.”

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Online: http://www.act.org/

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Follow Kimberly Hefling on Twitter: http://twitter.com/khefling

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California Black Media

U.S. DOT Awards California Nearly $150M for EV Charging and Fueling Infrastructure

The United States Department of Transportation has awarded $149.7 million to California to build its zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced last week. “Decarbonizing the transportation and goods movement sectors is essential for fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health in communities along busy corridors,” said Padilla. The funding includes $100 million for medium and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles. The funding is being managed by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program under the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

Published

5 days ago

September 11, 2024

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

“Decarbonizing the transportation and goods movement sectors is essential for fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health in communities along busy corridors,” said Padilla.

The funding includes $100 million for medium and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles. The funding is being managed by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program under the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

The federal agency was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law to fund development projects. The state’s Department of Transportation will receive $102.4 million for its West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project. The charging and fueling stations will be developed for zero-emissions medium and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington. The project aims to transport goods between major ports and freight centers and agricultural regions along the West Coast.

Several Democratic leaders urged U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to support the zero-emissions project. The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program also aims to deploy electric vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure in publicly accessible locations to help underserved and disadvantaged communities.

“To successfully meet California’s critical climate goals, we need to scale up our charging and fueling infrastructure up and down the state through transformative projects like the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project,” Padilla added.

Additional government agencies and organizations in California were awarded up to $15 million to invest in sustainable transportation infrastructure. They include the Fort Independence Indian Community, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.

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California Black Media

Nvidia Announces Partnership With California Black Media 

Nvidia, the tech leader in artificial intelligence and the third largest corporation in the world — valued at around $3.06 trillion – announced last week that it is partnering with California Black Media (CBM) to create a critical resource that will support Black-owned newspapers in the state.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 28, 2024

Oakland Post

File photo.

By Tanu Henry, California Black Media

Nvidia, the tech leader in artificial intelligence and the third largest corporation in the world — valued at around $3.06 trillion – announced last week that it is partnering with California Black Media (CBM) to create a critical resource that will support Black-owned newspapers in the state.

The same week, Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, also announced a partnership with the state that will train educators and students across California.

“The public-private collaboration supports the state’s goals in workforce training and economic development by giving universities, community colleges and adult education programs in California the resources to gain skills in generative AI,” the Nvidia statement read.

With CBM, Nvidia will “train a large language model on nearly a century of journalism by Black journalists in the state.”

“We are excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to empower publishers in our sector,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of CBM. “This partnership places the Black Press at the forefront of journalism and technology, unlocking innovative opportunities that will drive the future of our industry.”

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Bay Area

WestCAT to Replace Old Diesel Buses with New Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses

The Western Contra Costa Transit Authority (WestCAT) will receive $20,646,189 to buy hydrogen fuel cell buses to replace older diesel buses and expand its hydrogen fueling station and maintenance facilities, according to the transit agency.

Published

1 month ago

August 17, 2024

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Photo credit: WestCAT.

The Richmond Standard

The grant is part of $1.5 billion in federal funding to support 117 projects that aim to improve public transportation in 47 states. Over the last three years, the Federal Transit Administration has sent nearly $5 billion to replace and modernize transit buses, building new technology with American workers. U.S. factories will produce more than 3,650 new buses.

As part of the $20.6M in funding it was awarded, WestCAT said it will provide workforce training to support its transition to an entirely zero-emission fleet.