ETS, the nonprofit organization behind the GRE graduate school admissions exam and the TOEFL English-language proficiency test, has acquired ACT, one of the nation’s largest college admissions testing organizations.
ETS announced today that the acquisition is intended to combine the strengths of the two organizations and expand educational and workforce opportunities for learners. The organizations said they share a mission of helping students demonstrate their skills and prepare for college and careers in an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
“Every student deserves a strong education, a fair shot at college and a path to a good job,” ETS CEO Amit Sevak said in a statement. “Together with ACT, we’re determined to serve students and parents along with educators and states by expanding access to education and job opportunities across America.”
The acquisition comes as standardized testing is entering another period of transition. While many colleges adopted test-optional admissions policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous schools, particularly more-selective institutions, have resumed requiring SAT or ACT scores.
The not-for-profit College Board owns the SAT, the other major standardized college entrance exam.
“Higher education is evolving quickly, and assessment providers have to evolve with it,” says Kerr C. Ramsay III, senior vice president for enrollment at High Point University in North Carolina. “Bringing together organizations with deep expertise in measurement has the potential to accelerate innovation in areas like digital testing, score reporting and student support. Ultimately, any change should be judged by whether it improves access, transparency, and confidence in the admissions process. Students deserve an assessment ecosystem that is continually improving rather than standing still.”
[Read: How Important Are SAT and ACT Scores in College Admissions?]
How Will the Acquisition Work?
According to ETS, ACT will continue operating as its own organization while benefiting from ETS’s expertise in educational measurement, research and innovation. The organizations said ACT customers and partners shouldn’t experience disruptions to the products and services they currently use.
Sevak says the acquisition builds on the organizations’ shared missions.
“ACT’s mission and impact are highly complementary to ETS’s mission of advancing the science of measurement to power human progress,” Sevak says. “Together, we will expand our ability to support learners throughout their journeys — from K-12 through higher education and into their careers.”
ACT CEO Steve Tapp also said the partnership is intended to broaden the organization’s reach while maintaining its existing mission.
“Becoming part of ETS will allow us to take what we’ve built and scale it within a broader vision for readiness,” Tapp said in a statement. “Joining ETS gives us the platform to fulfill our mission at a scale we couldn’t reach alone. This is about more students getting the guidance they deserve, and more of them finding their way forward with confidence.”
[Some Colleges Are Requiring Test Scores Again: What it Means for Applicants]
ACT is best known for its college admissions exam, which is accepted by the vast majority of four-year colleges and universities in the U.S., with some exceptions such as schools that are test-blind and don’t look at scores even if they are submitted.
ETS administers a range of assessments used by students and professionals around the world, including the Graduate Record Exam, TOEFL and Praxis exams.
Will Students See Changes to the ACT?
For students planning to take the ACT, the answer is no — at least, for now.
Neither ETS nor ACT announced changes to the ACT’s format, scoring, testing schedule or score reporting as part of the acquisition. Students registered for upcoming exams should continue preparing as they normally would, and colleges will continue accepting ACT scores under their existing admissions policies.
Admissions experts recommend that students research each college’s testing requirements before applying. While some institutions have reinstated standardized testing requirements, many remain test-optional, meaning applicants can decide whether submitting ACT or SAT scores will strengthen their applications.
A competitive test score depends on the selectivity of the institution and how scores fit within the rest of an applicant’s academic profile. Some colleges require test scores when evaluating an applicant for merit aid.
[Read: How Parents Can Help Prepare Their Students for the SAT, ACT]
What the Change Could Mean for College Admissions
Although the acquisition is unlikely to immediately change the college admissions process, it may signal a broader shift in how testing organizations view their role in education.
Rather than focusing solely on college entrance exams, both ETS and ACT have expanded into areas such as career readiness, workforce development and digital assessment tools. ETS says bringing the organizations together will allow them to invest more heavily in research, technology and learning solutions that support students from elementary school into the workforce.
For students and families, however, the biggest takeaway may be that the admissions process remains largely unchanged. Applicants should continue building a strong academic record, researching each college’s admissions policies and determining whether submitting test scores will strengthen their applications.
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ETS Acquires ACT: What it Means for Standardized Testing in College Admissions originally appeared on usnews.com
