The Enhanced ACT Linking Study Report. ACT Research. Research Paper. R2515

Abstract

Starting in April 2025, ACT will introduce enhanced forms of the ACT® test for national online testing, with a full rollout to all paper and online test takers in national, state and district, and international test administrations by Spring 2026. ACT introduced major updates by changing the test lengths and testing times, providing more time per item, rebalancing the reporting categories, adding embedded field-test items, making the science test optional, and changing the ACT Composite score from an average of the English, math, reading, and science (EMRS) scores to an average of only the English, math, and reading (EMR) scores. Details of these enhancements are available on the ACT website (www.act.org/actenhancements). Despite these changes, the enhanced ACT was designed to measure the same constructs as the legacy ACT. To ensure score consistency across years, ACT decided to maintain the legacy 1-36 scale for the enhanced tests. Before the launch, two special studies were conducted: a linking study in June 2024 to link the enhanced forms to the legacy forms, and a mode study in October 2024 to examine score comparability between the paper and online formats of the enhanced ACT. This document focuses on analyses and findings from the June 2024 linking study. In summary, the enhanced ACT test measures the same constructs and reports scores on the same scales as the legacy ACT test. The enhancements had minimal impact on student performance, though there was some evidence of a small positive effect on test completion rates and students' perceptions of having enough time to complete the test. While the reduction in test length led to expected decreases in measurement precision, the impact on score interpretation was minimal. Therefore, scores on the enhanced ACT test and the legacy ACT test can be used interchangeably.