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'It's Just Really Sad': Many Minn. Students Encountering Problems At ACT Testing Sites

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Most colleges consider the ACT test score to make admission decisions. But, on Saturday, several Minnesota students were left waiting in parking lots with buildings closed off.

WCCO discovered how the COVID-19 pandemic left testing sites all across the country scrambling.

Preparing for her senior year at Armstrong High School, Tori Thomas planned to give the ACT one last shot this summer.

"A typical week, seven days a week, I studied about four hours a day for around three weeks," Thomas said.

She'd taken the test before, but believed boosting her score would help to secure a spot at a better college and for a merit-based scholarship.

ACT SAT Test
(credit: CBS)

As COVID-19 canceled test dates for months, it was in March when Thomas registered for the July 18 date. A few weeks ago, an email blamed "seating capacity" at that site for canceling that test.

"Then we got a new testing site. It was a sigh of relief, oh my gosh, I'm finally going to be able to take the ACT," Thomas recalled.

On Saturday, with confirmation in-hand for Breck School, Thomas showed up bright and early.

"I was informed that I wasn't on the roster and I wouldn't be taking the test that day," she said.

So, from Breck in Golden Valley, Thomas drove back to the original site where she was once registered at Hennepin Tech with the hope she could still get in.

"We get there, the building is pitch black, the door is locked. There are 20-plus kids standing in the parking lot that drove three-plus hours away to take this test that had never been informed by an email or anything," she said.

A spokesperson for ACT admits to problems in Minnesota and other states, and sent WCCO the following statement:

"We are currently looking into this unfortunate situation and will provide more information as soon as we can. Based on the information we have available, we know that more than 88,000 students successfully tested at more than 1,100 sites on July 18, while adhering to COVID-19 public health guidelines and social distancing guidelines and procedures for the health and safety of examinees. Around 1,400 examinees (at approximately 21 sites) were not able to test. We know that some sites cancelled up until late Friday night, including some we were unaware of, resulting in unprocessed communications to students. We are truly sorry that this happened, and we will do everything we can to provide solutions to students affected by this situation, including offering a makeup test date where we can. Our top priority is to provide testing opportunities for all who wish to pursue a path to college and career. We know we have work to do to earn back trust and provide a positive experience for all who engage with us. We will follow up directly with students who were impacted by same-day cancellations so they may receive refunds and plan for future opportunities to test."

"It's just really sad," Cheryl Thomas, Tori Thomas' mom said.

Parents like Cheryl Thomas are left to wonder why the company wasn't better prepared. As of right now, her daughter will have to wait until September to test again.

Some colleges have announced that ACT and SAT scores will be optional for the next two years due to the pandemic. But, Cheryl Thomas is calling on lawmakers to do more to level the playing field across the board, especially after this latest mix-up.

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