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Hofmeister Announces Plan to Increase College Attendance

Emily Wendler / KOSU
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Joy Hofmeister, announces a new plan that makes the ACT free for all 11th graders in the state.

The State Department of Education wants more Oklahoma kids to go to college. So they’re launching a pilot program that would make it easier for all students to apply. 

The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Joy Hofmeister, announced the Department's plan to make the college entrance exam, the ACT, free for all high school juniors for the following year. 

Hofmeister said last year only 50 percent of 11th graders in the state took the test, and she doesn't think that's good enough. She said the fee to take the test and the driving distance to the testing centers deters a lot of students from taking it.

"And this is one step in clearing the hurdle to allow students to have access for more opportunities," she said.

Oklahoma is an ACT state, meaning colleges and universities require students to take the test to apply. Hofmeister hopes this program levels the playing field and strengthens the pipeline from high school to college for all students. 

The tests will be available to take at local high schools in the spring. It won’t be mandatory—high schools can choose to join the program—and kids only have to take it if they want.

The program will cost the department $1.5 million. Hofmeister said these dollars were already appropriated for assessments, and won't be cutting into any other program's budgets.

Emily Wendler was KOSU's education reporter from 2015 to 2019.
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