SCCC will host ACT testing with safety precautions June 13

by RACHEL COLEMAN

LIBERAL, Kan. — It’s a standard part of the going-to-college process: college readiness testing, in the form of ACT exams. Despite an academic year disrupted by the global pandemic, Seward County Community College will host the ACT test on Saturday, June 13.

“Our administrative and campus emergency response leaders discussed it this week, and concluded that it is possible to proctor these important tests safely,” said SCCC President, Dr. Ken Trzaska.

The ACT is not the only college placement exam — the SAT and SAT subject tests are also utilized by many — but it is widely preferred across the Midwest in particular. The exam, usually offered multiple times per year, is open to underclassmen in high school, and serves as part of a student’s overall preparation for applying to, and choosing, a college.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in general right now, but taking the ACT helps ensure students’ future hopes and dreams, and that’s encouraging,” said SCCC Registrar Alaina Rice, who oversees several ACT test dates each year. “The students who will take this offering of the ACT signed up for it ahead of time, and we are glad to be able to make it available in spite of the pandemic.”

To comply with the ACT’s requirements and guidelines, the college’s maintenance staff will provide an even more thorough sanitizing process to the Hobble Academic Building and grounds. Requirements include:

Cleaning and disinfection of the facilities prior to testing, in accordance with CDC guidelines
Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes available on test day, preferably at designated stations that can be easily monitored.
Recommendations include:

Check-in stations with easily visible six-foot spacing and signage to ensure examinees practice social distancing.
Restrooms adequately stocked with soap, materials for drying hands, and waste receptacles.
Frequent cleaning of “high touch” surfaces at the test center, such as door handles and restrooms throughout the test day.
“We take our role as an education gateway for our community very seriously, and making the ACT available to future college students, no matter what their destination, is a part of the service we provide,” said Trzaska. “We are willing to go the extra mile to offer this test in accordance with those health and wellbeing guidelines.”

One additional, important detail, Rice added, is for students to wear masks during the session, which runs from roughly 8 a.m. to noon..

“It is not a requirement, but we encourage them to do so,” she said. “We want them to do well, and we want them to stay well, healthwise, too.”

Rice offered a few standard reminders for test-takers.

“Be sure to bring the ACT ticket, which is required for you to be able to sit for the test,” she said. “And, bring a current, valid, government-issued photo ID. A school ID for the academic year which just ended is acceptable. We normally take these and examine them, but this year, on test day, we will have students hold them and show them to us.”