An Update on ACT Testing in San Diego County
School closures and local COVID-19 regulations have heavily disrupted the ability of students to take the ACT since the start of the pandemic. This break from the norm has caused a continual change in the ACT testing schedule, availability of seats, and ACT’s overall plans to release new test formats. As we get closer to the spring test dates, it’s important to take into consideration how the changes in the state of ACT testing in San Diego may affect your ability to sit for an exam.
Pop-up ACT sites continue to be the most reliable test sites. ACT exams hosted by local schools are run by the district, while pop-up sites are run directly by ACT. The Sheraton San Diego, one of ACT’s pop-up sites, was the only test site in San Diego able to have students sit for the December ACT during the shelter in place order. The Sheraton San Diego as well as a new pop-up ACT site, The Westin Carlsbad, are both holding administrations of the February ACT. These pop-up sites are not currently available for the April exam date or future administrations. However, ACT waited until December to add the February test dates for both pop-up sites, so there's a good chance that they will open up registration for the pop-up sites for further test dates as we get closer to April.
Some local schools are hosting their-school-only ACT exams. Schools that have the ability and space for in-person instruction are able to act as test sites for their students through ACT. So far this spring, there are at least three high schools in San Diego County that plan to host an ACT exam date for their students.
ACT has not yet announced additional ACT test administrations for 2021. While CollegeBoard has announced that they would consider adding test date administrations of the SAT in the fall if cancellations continued to increase, ACT has not yet commented on if they are considering adding ACT test dates in 2021.
An at-home, online version of the ACT is still expected this winter. Last year, ACT pushed back the intended release of a remote version of the ACT, with the intention to place their main focus on adding test dates, contacting test sites, and regrouping after the local cancellation of many of the 2020 test dates. However, with the pandemic exacerbating the need for remote test options, ACT plans to release an online option this winter. The release of the online version of the ACT is expected to relieve a lot of the pressure of capacity limits, which is particularly important with current social distancing guidelines.
