Changes to the ACT Writing Section

The ACT Writing Section is changing this Fall, starting with the September 12th, 2015 administration.  Unlike the coming changes to the SAT, which have been extensively covered in the media, this new ACT change is a bit of a surprise.  

Why is it changing?

The Common Core Curriculum, which has been adopted by the majority of U.S. states, calls for new writing standards.  The ACT prides itself in alignment with Common Core Standards.

Colleges consistently complain that high school graduate's writing is neither complex enough nor academic enough.  The ACT wants to remain a relevant tool to help college admissions officers avoid pulling their hair out.

How is it changing?

A spokesperson for the ACT says that the changes to the Writing section "allow students to more fully demonstrate their analytical writing ability."  

The new Writing assignments will have:

• More Complex Prompts
• Assignments that are Less Specific and More Open-Ended
• New Scoring Guidelines

Longer, More-Complex Prompts

Thus far, the ACT has released only one sample prompt, so we must make all of our conclusions based on this prompt:

Intelligent Machines

Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.

This prompt is quite different from the old style of prompt.  There is no specific assignment.

• The prompt first presents a General Statement that automation is replacing human labor.  
• It then gives us specific examples supporting this statement.  
• It then asks a Core Question: "what is lost when we replace humans with machines?"
• Finally it gives us an Abstract Assignment:  "it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives."

After the prompt, the ACT then presents three Points of View.

Perspective One  What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people.

Perspective Two  Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone.

Perspective Three  Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.

• Perspective One tells us that automation is bad.  Culture is lost.
• Perspective Two tells us that automation is good because it is efficient.
• Perspective Three tells us that automation is good because it pushes the boundaries of human possibility.

Less Specific, More Open-Ended Assignments

After bombarding us with this dense prompt the ACT gives us some instructions.

Essay Task

Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to:

• analyze and evaluate the perspectives given
• state and develop your own perspective on the issue
• explain the relationship between your perspective and those given

Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.

This will most likely be similar on all Writing Sections.

Students will have to pick their own perspective, write about each of the presented perspectives, and discuss how their perspective relates to the given perspectives.

Then, the ACT gives us even more.

Planning Your Essay

Your work on these prewriting pages will not be scored. 

Use the space below and on the back cover to generate ideas and plan your essay. You may wish to consider the following as you think critically about the task:

Strengths and weaknesses of the three given perspectives

• What insights do they offer, and what do they fail to consider?
• Why might they be persuasive to others, or why might they fail to persuade?

Your own knowledge experience and values

• What is your perspective on this issue, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?
• How will you support your perspective in your essay?

New Scoring Guidelines

This chart discusses the new criteria:

Old ACT Writing, Score of 6	New ACT Skill Name	Enhanced ACT Writingadds...
The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counterarguments to the writer's position.	Generate ideas (Judgment, Analysis, Narration and Reflection)	> multiple perspectives > articulate insight/depth of understanding > situated perspectives (context)
Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated.	Develop Ideas (Develop a Position, Support an Explanation, Give an Account)	> appeals to emotion/feeling > identify and explore relevant underlying assumptions, ideas, or values > arrive at insight/deeper understanding through thoughtful consideration
A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained.	Sustain ideas (Focus)	> Nothing New
The organization of the essay is clear: the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer's purpose.  Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer's logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed.	Organize ideas (Organization)	> Sequence narrative elements effectively
The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader.	Communicate Ideas (Language Use)	> Use appropriate voice and tone > Use narrative techniques > Use descriptive vocabulary

This is what the ACT has to say about these enhancements.

The new Writing test is obviously much more complex than the old one, but the ACT is also giving students 40-minutes, instead of 30 as on the old Writing test.

Colleges are aware of the coming changes and will probably not weight the writing scores as heavily on the first few administrations of the test.



As always, here at Tried & True Tutoring, we will keep you updated about coming SAT & ACT changes, and of course provide private tutoring and classes for SAT Prep and ACT Prep.

Jonathan

www.triedandtruetutoring.com

College of the Day: The University of Texas - Austin

The University of Texas at Austin

Quick Facts:

Location: Austin, TX

Established:1883

Students Enrolled: 47,630

Applicants: 35,431

Male/Female Ratio: 48/52

 The University of Texas (UT) is located in Texas's state capital, Austin on a 400-acre campus.  UT is consistently on lists for the top 10 public universities in the U.S. and is considered a best buy university. The university is large with over 46,000 students, but students say they feel connected to the student body through the success of the sports' teams.

The strongest programs at UT consist of engineering, business, law, education, and pharmacy.  The English department is also very successful; it is a tremendous department with over 100 tenure-track professors.  The liberal arts honors program is a national model and one of the oldest honors programs in the country.

Students at UT say that the academic climate is competitive and demanding, but the university offers help through courses such as University 101, which helps prepare freshmen student for college life.  UT also offers students a plethora of study abroad opportunities in more than 80 different countries. 

 Student Life:

The majority of UT students hail from Texas; about eighty percent are from Texas.  The campus is diverse with Hispanics counting for 22 percent, Asian Americans for 19 percent, and African Americans for 5 percent. Students say that there is not a dominant political pattern on campus, even if Texas is known for it's conservatism.

On campus housing at UT is limited; only 19 percent of students live on campus.  The majority of students live in off campus apartments and condos, but they can be quite pricey. A free bus shuttle is offered for students that live off campus.

Austin is not a typical college town, but it offers students many opportunities for social life. The area has a great live music scene with plenty of bars, pubs, and restaurants for students to enjoy.  The Texas student union offers many events for students on campus.  There are also over 950 different student organizations for students to participate in.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the University of Texas - Austin you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 550-670 and a Math SAT Score of 580-710. ACT scores for all sections should be from 25-31. UT typically has at least 35,000 applicants each year with only 47% of applicants being accepted.  

 

Interested in applying to the University of Texas, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Texas - Austin." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 692-694. Print

College of the Day: Duke University

Duke University

Quick Facts:

Location: Durham, NC

Established:1838

Students Enrolled: 14,591

Applicants: 30,374

Male/Female Ratio: 50/50

Duke University is a top private university located in the lush forest of Durham, North Carolina. The university's campus is known for it's Gothic-styled residential and class buildings. The area offers students many outdoor opportunities on and around campus.

Duke is a prestigious university that is competitive with the Ivy League schools.  Students choose between two undergraduate schools when applying: the Pratt School of Engineering and the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. The engineer programs are national standouts, especially the electrical and biomedical programs.  Other strong programs include biology, ecology, neuroscience, public policy, economics, and literary studies. 

Student Life:

The majority of Duke students come from out of state, particularly the northeast and California. Only ten percent of students are from North Carolina.  Students are required to live on campus for their first three years.  Students can choose to in either residence halls or on campus fraternities/sororities. Freshmen all live on the east campus with each dorm led by a faculty member.  Seniors are allowed to live off campus in near by apartments. 

The majority of social life at Duke takes place through the Greek system.  Twenty-nine percent of the men and forty-two percent of the students choose to join either a fraternity or sorority. Fraternity parties are open to everyone. Alcohol is easy to find on campus, even for those who are not 21.  The university has been attempting to tailer it's policies to deal with underage drinking.

Duke is known for it's men's basketball team. Each basketball season, students camp out for the prized tickets for each game.  Students at the games are called "Cameron Crazies" because of their intense passion for the game. Student spirit is at all time high during the rivalry games with nearby University of North Carolina. 

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to Duke University you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 660-750 and a Math SAT Score of 690-780. ACT scores for all sections should be from 30-34. Duke typically has at least 30,000 applicants each year with only 13% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to Duke University, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "Duke University." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 221-225. Print

College of the Day: Davidson

Davidson College

Quick Facts:

Location: Davidson, NC

Established:1837

Students Enrolled: 1,790

Applicants: 4,770

Male/Female Ratio: 50/50

Davidson College is a private, liberal arts college located 20 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina in Davidson. The college has been called the "Dartmouth of the South" because of it's success as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the area.  

The honor code at Davidson is prevalent feature. Students take a majority of their tests and assignments from home, but must sign them with the word "pledged".  Because of the honor code, students feel safe on campus and are not afraid to leave their belongings around without them being stolen.  

Davidson's academics are quite rigorous, but not unmanageable. The strongest programs at Davidson are biology, psychology, english, political science, chemistry, international studies, theater, and history. Professors are known to be easily accessible and very friendly. Because there are no graduate students at Davidson, many students have the opportunity to work on research directly with their professors. Class size is always small and intimate with no class having over 35 students. 

Student Life:

Only 22 percent of Davidson students come from North Carolina; the majority of students are from out of state, and six percent of students are international. Ninety-two percent of students live on campus in either co-ed or single-sex dorms.  Dorms are centrally-located and generally very nice.  Seniors get housing with private bedrooms that are more like apartments than dorms. 

There is great food served on campus, but many upper classmen choose to eat a fraternity or at one of the eating clubs.  The eating clubs charge dues which cover food and parties, as well as campus events. The eating clubs and fraternities provide most of the social life on campus. Ten percent of Davidson men join a fraternity with only one percent of women joining the one sorority on campus. 

Davidson Wildcats have twenty-one sports teams that compete in Division I.  Because of it's small size, twenty percent of Davidson students are varsity athletes.  Davidson has been brought to the spotlight in recent years because of the success of it's star basketball player, Stephen Curry.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to Davidson College you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 625-720 and a Math SAT Score of 635-720. ACT scores for all sections should be from 29-32. Davidson typically has at least 4,500 applicants each year with only 25% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to Davidson College, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "Davidson College." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 193-196. Print

College of the Day: Florida State University

Florida State University

Quick Facts:

Location: Tallahassee, FL

Established:1851

Students Enrolled: 34,469

Applicants: 30,040

Male/Female Ratio: 44/56

Florida State University (FSU) is located on 450-acres in the panhandle of Florida. The university is compact in size, and students can make it across campus in ten minutes. The campus location is located in Florida's state capitol of Tallahassee; because of it's location students are able to participate in political internships and jobs.  

FSU has top programs in music, drama, art, and dance. The School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts has won an array of international and national awards. Sciences are also very strong programs, especially ecology, evolutionary biology, chemistry, and physics. The strongest program at FSU is accounting in the business program. 

Students say that courses are fairly rigorous, but the academic climate is still laid-back.  The majority of students hail from Florida; only ten percent of students come from out of state. The campus is fairly diverse with sixteen percent of students being Hispanic, nine percent African American, and three percent Asian American. 

Student Life:

Only twenty percent of undergraduate students choose to live on FSU's campus.  Rooms are assigned on a first come, first serve basis.  Students have mixed reviews on the dorms. The older dorms are larger than the newer dorms, but all contain air conditioning, a must in Florida. Most students choose to live off campus in the many apartment complexes surrounding the campus. 

Tallahassee is not particularly a college town, but students do have access to plenty of concerts, theaters, shops, and restaurants. Greek life is fairly popular at FSU with sixteen percent of men and nineteen percent of women choosing to join a fraternity or sorority. Besides Greek life, students enjoy having dorm parties, which aren't strictly monitored. 

Football is a major sporting event for students at FSU.  The rivalry with the University of Florida sets students into a spirited frenzy each football season.  Many students participate in FSU's recreational activities; the university has over forty intramural sports and fifty sports clubs. 

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to Florida State University you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 560-640 and a Math SAT Score of 560-640. ACT scores for all sections should be from 25-29. FSU typically has at least 30,000 applicants each year with only 54% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to Florida State University, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "Florida State University." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 253-254. Print

College of the Day: Chapman Univeristy

Chapman University

Quick Facts:

Location: Orange, CA 

Established:1861

Students Enrolled: 6,798

Applicants: 10,489

Male/Female Ratio: 42/58

Chapman University, founded in 1861, is one of the oldest private colleges in California.  The campus is located on 75-acres in Orange, California, which is about forty minutes from Los Angeles. The university's location is ideal; it offers students access to the beach, Disneyland, Orange County, and Los Angeles. 

The university is most well-known for it's film, television, and performing arts programs.  Through these programs students have access to countless internships in the industry.  Also popular at Chapman are the business and economics programs. The Economic Science Institute at Chapman has students studying under Nobel laureate Dr. Vernan Smith. 

Chapman University is a fairly small institution, which allows for smaller class sizes and a more personal teaching experience.  Forty-two percent of classes at Chapman have fewer than nineteen students. There are no TAs at Chapman, so all teaching is done by professors.  

Student Life:

Almost two-thirds of Chapman's students are from California. The university's students pride themselves on being leaders; many participate in many internships and organizations through the campus. Only thirty-four percent of students choose to live on campus, but those who do say that rooms are large and comfortable.  

Greek life is popular at Chapman; twenty-six percent of men and thirty percent of women join fraternities and sororities.  Alcohol is readily available for students on campus, but RAs do monitor underage students.  Most social life at Chapman takes place off-campus, but the university does host several events on campus. 

Old Towne in Orange provides students with restaurants and shops.  Students also spend time up in Los Angeles due to Orange being a smaller, sleepier city.  Chapman also offers students many intramural sports to participate in with ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and soccer being very popular.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to Chapman University you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 550-650 and a Math SAT Score of 560-660. ACT scores for all sections should be from 25-29. Chapman typically has at least 10,000 applicants each year with only 44% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to Chapman University, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "Chapman University." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 128-130. Print

College of the Day: University of Miami

University of Miami

Quick Facts:

Location: Miami, FL 

Established:1925

Students Enrolled: 14,744

Applicants: 27,757

Male/Female Ratio: 49/51

The University of Miami (UM) has largely been known for it's football team, but it's academic programs also deserve fame.  UM's 239-acre campus is located twenty minutes from Miami's beaches and ten minutes to downtown Miami. Students expecting to be beach bums and not study should not apply to UM.

UM's best programs are marine biology, music, and business.  The marine science program is one of the top programs in the country.  UM offers students more than 180 majors within the 12 different schools. The university has a hands-on approach to learning, encouraging students to carry out research in collaboration with professors and other students. 

The university is also well-known for it's diversity.  Hispanics account for twenty-three percent of students; some students say it's as if Spanish is the university's native language.  International students also bring great diversity to the campus with twelve percent of students being from another country.  

Student Life:

Typically, students think that on-campus housing at UM is average, so only 39 percent of undergraduates live on campus.  For those who do live on campus, housing is divided into five different residential colleges.  Each of these residential colleges is directed by a senior faculty member called a master.  The master organizes concerts, lectures, seminars, and social events for students in their residential college. 

Social life is big on campus, and UM has been known to be a party school.  Alcohol measures are strict for underage drinkers, but many students find a way around this by going to fraternity parties.  Greek life is popular at UM with 32 percent of students participating in either a fraternity or sorority.  Those not interested in fraternity parties still have access to plenty of social life provided by busy Miami.  

Sports are very popular at UM, especially men's football and basketball.  Students have abundant enthusiasm for their sports' teams at UM. The university also offers intramural sports for students and fun games such as quidditch for Harry Potter lovers. 

Apply:

If you are interested in applying to the University of Miami you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 600-700 and a Math SAT Score of 630-720. ACT scores for all sections should be from 28-32. UM typically has at least 27,000 applicants each year with only 40% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to the University of Miami, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Miami." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 448-450. Print