Op-Ed: We Can’t Fix a Problem While Enabling It—The Case of ACT Testing

Challenging the ACT: Are We Helping Students or Perpetuating a Broken System?

Recently, I attended a professional development session focused on improving students' ACT scores. However, instead of leaving with a sense of optimism about enhancing educational outcomes, I walked away with a heavy realization of how deeply entrenched we are in a flawed system. The presenter, whose career revolves around teaching students how to "beat" the test, openly admitted that the ACT is manipulative and designed to trick students. Instead of discussing ways to improve our education system or evaluate students more fairly, the session focused entirely on how to "game" the system.

It's one thing to acknowledge that a system is flawed, but it's entirely different to exploit those flaws for personal gain. The presenter justified their work by claiming to teach students how to "persevere" through a broken system. The core message: Sometimes you have to do unpleasant things to get ahead. But what are we truly teaching our students if success is defined by how well they outsmart a test rather than by acquiring real knowledge? This mindset is not only flawed—it is damaging to the very essence of education.

The larger issue, which the presenter acknowledged, is that the ACT (and SAT) are deeply intertwined with college admissions. They even admitted that the system favors students with financial means. It's no secret that students from affluent families can afford tutors and test prep courses, which often focus on strategies to "play the game." Meanwhile, students from low-income backgrounds, who lack access to these resources, are left behind, regardless of their actual knowledge or potential.

What was particularly troubling was the presenter's admission that the ACT isn’t really about assessing knowledge. By their own words, it's a game to be played—a game rigged in favor of those who can afford to hire experts to teach them the rules. This idea stands in stark contrast to what educators strive for. We aim to foster learning, develop critical thinkers, and cultivate students’ natural curiosity. Yet standardized tests like the ACT reduce education to a set of tricks and strategies, detached from the substance of what students should truly be learning.

The presenter is correct that there are no perfect alternatives widely used in the United States at the moment, but this is largely because of money. Other systems, like the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), focus on applying knowledge and critical thinking, providing a much more accurate picture of student learning. But why doesn’t the U.S. adopt such a system? The answer is simple: money. The SAT and ACT are billion-dollar industries with powerful stakeholders who profit from maintaining the status quo—including the presenter, who, notably, is not a classroom or lab educator.

Until we confront the reality that we can’t fix a problem while actively participating in it, meaningful change will remain out of reach. We can’t claim to want better for our students while perpetuating a system that favors wealth over knowledge. Standardized tests can serve a purpose, but only if they are designed to genuinely assess what students know—not how well they've learned to outsmart a flawed exam.

Our students deserve better. It’s time to stop enabling a system that does them a disservice and start advocating for assessments that truly reflect their knowledge and potential, not their economic privilege. Until we do, we will continue to fail the very students we aim to serve.

Subscript: As professional educators, we are now not only asked to teach and focus on actual content, but we are also expected to include tricks and manipulations as part of what we must do to prepare students for standardized tests.