January ACT Parent Email
January 22, 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This is a reminder that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced in the spring of 2024 that it will not renew its contract with the College Board for the SAT. Instead, the state will transition to the ACT as the high school accountability assessment.
Key testing dates for BHS students are as follows:
- Juniors: ACT with Essay – April 22, 2025
- Sophomores: PreACT – March 19, 2025
- Freshmen: PreACT 9 – March 19, 2025
To help students prepare, BHS will host an optional practice ACT free of charge on March 1st from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. This practice session will include all ACT subject areas—English, Math, Reading, and Science—with the exception of the Writing portion. While the practice testing platform will be Formative, not the official ACT platform (TestNav), the goal is to:
- Familiarize students with ACT-style questions,
- Introduce the Desmos calculator, and
- Help students practice the pacing of the ACT.
How to Register: Students can sign up here by February 26th. While the practice ACT is primarily intended for juniors, freshmen and sophomores are welcome to participate if they would like to gain early exposure to the ACT. Please note that seats are limited, and priority will be given to juniors.
Additionally, we are excited to share a new ACT resource available to all students. PrepStep offers a Guided ACT Course that includes tips, strategies, section overviews, tutorials, flashcards, multiple practice tests, and more. Students can access these resources by registering with their BHS account.
Our goal is to ensure every student feels confident and prepared for the ACT in April. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Bob Dietz
Associate Principal