act essay required schools

Complete List: Which Colleges Require ACT Writing?

What Is the ACT Writing Test?

The ACT Writing Test is an optional section of the ACT exam that assesses a student's writing skills. It provides colleges and universities with an additional measure of a student's readiness for college-level writing assignments. The test consists of a single prompt that presents a specific issue or topic and requires students to take a position on it. Students are given 40 minutes to plan, write, and revise their response.

The ACT Writing Test evaluates a student's ability to analyze multiple perspectives, develop and support an argument, and effectively communicate ideas in a coherent and organized manner. It assesses critical thinking, reasoning, and persuasive writing skills. The essay is scored on a scale of 2-12 by two independent readers who evaluate the overall quality of the response, including its development, organization, and use of language.

While the ACT Writing Test is optional, many colleges and universities require or recommend it for admissions. Some schools use the writing score as part of their evaluation process, while others consider it as supplemental information. It is essential for students to check the requirements of the schools they are applying to in order to determine whether they should take the ACT Writing Test.

Preparing for the ACT Writing Test involves honing writing skills, familiarizing oneself with different types of prompts, and practicing writing under timed conditions. Students should develop their ability to construct a clear thesis statement, support it with relevant evidence and examples, and demonstrate strong reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Taking the ACT Writing Test can provide students with an opportunity to showcase their writing abilities and enhance their college applications. It allows them to demonstrate their proficiency in expressing ideas effectively and persuasively. By preparing adequately and practicing writing skills, students can perform well on the ACT Writing Test and present themselves as strong candidates to colleges and universities.

Why Do Some Schools Require ACT Writing?

Some schools require the ACT Writing Test as part of their admissions process for several reasons:

1. Writing Assessment: The ACT Writing Test provides colleges and universities with a standardized measure of a student's writing abilities. It allows admissions officers to evaluate a student's writing skills, including their ability to construct a well-organized essay, develop and support arguments, and convey ideas effectively. By assessing a student's writing proficiency, schools can better determine if the student is prepared for the rigors of college-level writing assignments.

2. Holistic Evaluation: Including the ACT Writing Test helps colleges and universities get a more comprehensive understanding of a student's academic abilities. It complements other components of the application, such as grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, providing a more well-rounded view of the applicant. Schools may consider the writing test to gain insights into a student's critical thinking, analytical skills, and ability to communicate effectively.

3. Writing-Intensive Programs: Some colleges and universities place a strong emphasis on writing skills and have writing-intensive programs or majors. For these institutions, the ACT Writing Test becomes an important tool for assessing a student's aptitude for written communication. Requiring the writing test helps ensure that admitted students are capable of meeting the demands of writing-intensive coursework and projects.

4. Standardized Comparison: The ACT Writing Test provides a standardized way to compare writing abilities across applicants. It offers a consistent measure of writing skills that is easily comparable across different schools and regions. By requiring the writing test, schools can use it as a common benchmark for evaluating applicants and making admission decisions.

It's important for students to research the requirements of the schools they are interested in to understand whether the ACT Writing Test is required or recommended. Some schools may consider the writing score as an important factor in their evaluation process, while others may place less emphasis on it. Understanding the expectations of each school will help students make informed decisions about whether to take the ACT Writing Test and how to best prepare for it.

What Kind of Colleges Require ACT Writing?

Several colleges and universities require the ACT Writing Test as part of their admissions process. These schools may have different reasons for including the writing section and vary in their emphasis on its importance. Here are some types of colleges that often require ACT Writing:

1. Highly Selective Colleges: Many highly selective colleges and universities, including Ivy League institutions, top-ranked private universities, and prestigious liberal arts colleges, often require ACT Writing. These schools receive a large number of applications and aim to holistically evaluate candidates, considering their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and writing abilities.

2. Writing-Intensive Programs: Colleges and universities with writing-intensive programs or majors often require the ACT Writing Test. These programs may include majors in English, creative writing, journalism, communications, or any field that emphasizes strong writing skills. Requiring the writing section helps these institutions assess a student's ability to meet the demands of writing-intensive coursework.

3. Honors Programs: Many colleges and universities have honors programs that offer advanced coursework, research opportunities, and a more challenging academic experience. These programs often require the ACT Writing Test to gauge a student's writing skills and intellectual capabilities. Demonstrating strong writing abilities is particularly important for admission to honors programs.

4. Scholarship Consideration: Some colleges and universities require the ACT Writing Test for scholarship consideration. Merit-based scholarships, especially those that focus on academic achievement or leadership, may use the writing score as a factor in awarding scholarships. Requiring the writing section allows these institutions to assess a student's overall potential and eligibility for financial aid.

5. State Universities: Some state universities, particularly flagship and highly competitive public institutions, may require the ACT Writing Test. These schools often have a large applicant pool and may use the writing section to differentiate between candidates who have similar academic profiles. Requiring the writing test helps these universities make more informed admission decisions.

It's important for students to check the specific requirements of each college or university they are interested in to determine whether ACT Writing is mandatory or recommended. College websites and admissions offices typically provide this information. Students should also consider their own writing abilities and goals when deciding whether to take the ACT Writing Test, as well as the potential benefits it may provide for their college applications.

Full List of Colleges That Require ACT Writing

While the ACT Writing Test is optional for most colleges and universities, there are some institutions that require or recommend it as part of their admissions process. Here is a list of colleges and universities that currently require ACT Writing:

1. University of California (UC) System: All nine campuses of the University of California system require ACT Writing. These campuses include UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced.

2. Claremont McKenna College: This private liberal arts college in California requires ACT Writing for admission.

3. Colorado School of Mines: ACT Writing is required for admission to this public research university specializing in engineering and applied science.

4. Georgia Institute of Technology: Georgia Tech requires ACT Writing for admission to its undergraduate programs.

5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: This public research university requires ACT Writing for admission.

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): MIT requires the ACT with Writing or the SAT with Essay for admission.

7. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan requires ACT Writing or SAT Essay for admission.

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: ACT Writing is required for admission to UNC-Chapel Hill.

9. University of Notre Dame: ACT Writing or SAT Essay is required for admission to Notre Dame.

10. University of Pennsylvania: The University of Pennsylvania requires ACT Writing or SAT with Essay for admission.

11. University of Virginia: ACT Writing or SAT with Essay is required for admission to the University of Virginia.

Please note that this list is subject to change, and it's essential for students to verify the requirements of each institution they are interested in as part of their college application process. Additionally, some colleges and universities may recommend ACT Writing but not require it. Students should check with individual institutions to understand their specific policies regarding ACT Writing.

In conclusion, while the ACT Writing Test is optional for most colleges and universities, there are some institutions that require or recommend it as part of their admissions process. It is important for students to research and understand the specific requirements of each college they are interested in to ensure they meet the necessary criteria. Adhering to the ACT Writing requirements can help students present a comprehensive application and increase their chances of admission to their desired institutions.

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Writing Sample Essays

Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: 

• clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective
• develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples
• organize your ideas clearly and logically
• communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English

Your essay perspective may be in full agreement with any of those given, in partial agreement, or completely different.

Get more information about preparing for the writing test .

Sample Test Questions

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., sample act essay prompt (and how to tackle it).

Are you taking the ACT with Writing? No need to stress! The ACT essay follows a predictable format, which means you can practice and prepare beforehand. Take a look at a sample ACT writing prompt and learn five key steps to penning a high-scoring essay.

Keep in mind: The ACT writing essay is optional. Currently, only 27 colleges and universities require the ACT with Writing. You can see the complete list  here . If there is any chance that you might apply to one of those schools, you should register for the ACT with Writing. Not sure where you will apply? You should strongly consider signing up for the essay and keep your options open.

ACT with Writing: Sample Prompt

This example writing prompt comes straight from our book ACT Prep :

Education and the Workplace

Many colleges and universities have cut their humanities departments, and high schools have started to shift their attention much more definitively toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and away from ELA (English, Language Arts). Representatives from both school boards and government organizations suggest that the move toward STEM is necessary in helping students to participate in a meaningful way in the American workplace. Given the urgency of this debate for the future of education and society as a whole, it is worth examining the potential consequences of this shift in how students are educated in the United States.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the shift in American education.

Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the issue of how schools should balance STEM and ELA subjects. 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.

How to Write the ACT Essay

Your job is to write an essay in which you take some sort of position on the prompt, all while assessing the three perspectives provided in the boxes. Find a way to anchor your essay with a unique perspective of your own that can be defended and debated, and you are already in the upper echelon of scorers.

Step 1: Work the Prompt

What in the prompt requires you to weigh in? Why is this issue still the subject of debate and not a done deal?

Step 2: Work the Perspectives

Typically, the three perspectives will be split: one for , one against , and one in the middle . Your goal in Step 2 is to figure out where each perspective stands and then identify at least one shortcoming of each perspective. For the example above, ask yourself: 

• What does each perspective consider?
• What does each perspective overlook?

Read More: What's a Good ACT Score?

Step 3: Generate Your Own Perspective

Now it's time to come up with your own perspective! If you merely restate one of the three given perspectives, you won’t be able to get into the highest scoring ranges. You’ll draw from each of the perspectives, and you may side with one of them, but your perspective should have something unique about it.

Step 4: Put It All Together

Now that you have your ideas in order, here's a blueprint for how to organize the ACT essay. This blueprint works no matter what your prompt is.

Step 5: (If There's Time): Proofread

Spend one or two minutes on proofreading your essay if you have time. You’re looking for big, glaring errors. If you find one, erase it completely or cross it out neatly. Though neatness doesn’t necessarily affect your grade, it does make for a happy grader.

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ACT Writing and SAT Essay Requirements

On january 19th, 2021, college board announced that they will no longer administer the sat subject tests in the u.s. and that the essay would be retired. read our blog post  to understand what this means in the near term and what the college board has in store for students down the road., our articles on subject tests and the sat essay will remain on our site for reference purposes as colleges and students transition to a revised testing landscape. as an admission tool, students should consider the essay as canceled. compass recommends our students forgo the sat and act optional essays on future exams..

The SAT Essay and ACT Writing continue to pose a conundrum for students. While College Board and ACT have made these components optional, a small number of colleges continue to require or recommend them. Compass believes that students should no longer take the SAT Essay or ACT Writing unless they are applying to (or thinking about applying to) one of the few colleges that still requires the essay. Students who have already taken the essay should not be overly concerned about scores. One reason the essay is fading away is that the scores simply aren’t that accurate or useful. Colleges never really found a use for them, and the essays created an unnecessary obstacle for some applicants.

Rather than worrying about an essay score that is mostly ignored by colleges, Compass believes students should spend their time strengthening the more valuable pieces of their academic portfolio: high school GPA and, more specifically, success in rigorous courses like APs. Compass offers AP and academic tutoring in over 50 subjects to help students stay on pace with their coursework. Our team of subject specific expert tutors will guide the program from start to finish. We also offer a Study Skills and Organizational Coaching program to provide students with the tools they need to excel in the classroom.

The following table of popular colleges provides a wide range of institutions and policies.

Colleges with essay optional policies often do not specify whether submitted essay scores will be used for admission. When the college explicitly states that scores will not be evaluated, we have listed the policy as “Not Considered.” “Optional” should not be interpreted as meaning that the college uses submitted scores. We recommend contacting the school if you have specific questions.

ACT and SAT Essay Requirements - Class of 2019 and Beyond

* In response to COVID-19, these schools have announced temporary test optional or test blind policies, which also effects their essay requirements and recommendations. Please check with the individual schools for more information.

** University of Montana Western has students submit ACT Writing in order to satisfy English proficiency requirements.

Post a comment or send an email to [email protected] with questions or recommended changes.

Related posts:

ACT Writing scores have gone through multiple changes. To try to clear things up, Compass has published ACT Writing Scores Explained . A similar analysis for the SAT is also available.

Our College Profiles page  provides SAT and ACT scores for some of the most competitive colleges in the country.

Score choice and superscoring policies can be found for more than 400 popular colleges and universities.

Subject Test requirements continue to evolve, so Compass keeps an up-to-date list.

Updated 6/24/2020

About Art Sawyer

Art graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he was the top-ranked liberal arts student in his class. Art pioneered the one-on-one approach to test prep in California in 1989 and co-founded Compass Education Group in 2004 in order to bring the best ideas and tutors into students' homes and computers. Although he has attained perfect scores on all flavors of the SAT and ACT, he is routinely beaten in backgammon.

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Hi Art, Hope you are staying safe. Son is sophomore who will be taking the September ACT. He is not a great writer, does not like writing, and does not want to take the writing portion. He likely will score in the 33-35 range and apply to a variety of schools (a couple top [sub-10% acceptance rate] privates and top publics, as well as some less competitive universities and colleges). Not applying to any UC schools. Do you think lacking the writing score — which likely would be average — will hurt him? Put another way, would doing the writing help him at schools where it is “optional” assuming his score is not great but not terrible? Thanks. ST

ST, If colleges were completely honest, they would admit that the Writing test is dead. Some won’t state it so bluntly because it sounds like writing is not important. I don’t think there will be any colleges that care about your son’s Writing score by the time he applies. He should pass on it in September.

Thanks Art — appreciate the great advice here and on this web site generally!

If I’m understanding correctly, the only students who need to be taking the writing/essay exams are those applying to the first 9 schools on your list that are “required” or “recommended”? In this wild west post-Covid era of college testing where it seems the only constant thing is change, it is hard to understand why anyone would still take the essay portion if they aren’t applying to any of those 9 schools. We are in CA so it used to be needed for the UC’s but as you noted even that has changed. So now post-Covid, do you still advise most of your students to take the writing exams, or feel that there is “more upside than downside” to taking them? My 11th grader previously did the SAT w/essay and scored 760 R&W, 650 M, and 4/4/5 on the essay. He’ll be retaking it to improve his math score, or possibly switching over to the ACT since SAT isn’t offered this summer (He was scheduled for the March exam that was cancelled the day before, so we are re-evaluating our options). Thanks very much for your insight.

BSS, I’d go even a step further and say that — except for students applying to West Point — the essay can finally be retired. I’m not sad to see it go!

Given that your son is already considering the ACT, I’d recommend looking at July ACT and August SAT dates. Not that he needs to take both, but the strategy is a hedge against cancellations. Registration for some students just opened up for the SAT dates, but it sounds like your student will need to wait until registration goes wider on June 3.

Duke: “Recommended” Duke website: “We do not require the optional essay.” https://admissions.duke.edu/apply/ I don’t see anywhere that they recommend it.

Also, on your Subject Test page: Duke: “Recommended Strongly ” Duke website: “We do not require Subject Tests.” I see nothing that would indicate it is “Recommended Strongly”. https://admissions.duke.edu/apply/

Caltech – “Optional” Caltech website – “Caltech also does not require the SAT Essay or ACT Writing exam sections. These sections will not be considered in the application review process.” http://admissions.divisions.caltech.edu/apply/first-yearfreshman-applicants/standardized-tests

I believe the vast, vast majority of the colleges you list as “Optional” similarly don’t even consider a writing score.

Thanks for reaching out! And thank you, in particular, for the Duke update. Just a few weeks ago we checked their site and they still had Subject Tests listed as recommended strongly with the “or ACT” twist. We’ve updated the Subject Test page to reflect that. We still have Duke listed as recommending the essay because of this: https://today.duke.edu/2018/07/duke-makes-sat-essay-act-writing-test-optional-applicants (this announcement is from almost two years ago, but we haven’t heard anything to specifically counter it.)

We recognize that the essay is becoming increasingly less relevant in admissions, and we have plans to revisit this list and put the “Optional” schools in better context.

Hello Mr. Sawyer, I have an SAT score of 1510 and my essay score is 5/4/6 should I consider taking the SAT again to improve the essay score if I plan to apply to the top universities such as Harvard, Yale and Duke.

Mazin, You should not repeat the SAT just because of your Essay score. You may have seen the news yesterday that College Board is phasing out the Essay. It is simply no longer a concern.

Mr. Sawyer, what are you thoughts on the ACT writing (essay). Do you expect it to follow suit and discontinue it like the SAT essay?

Marjorie, My first thought is that — ACT’s decision aside — students should not take the Writing test. It is disappearing for good reason — it’s just not very good or useful.

ACT will make a business decision, just as College Board did — although not necessarily with the same immediate result. ACT may want to retain the fees it is receiving for the Writing test. It may also try to wait just long enough not to seem that it is following College Board’s lead. ACT typically implements changes during its school calendar year of Sept – July. I would not be surprised to see the essay discontinued after the summer administrations.

Mr. Sawyer-Wanting some advice. My junior just took the ACT and scored a 33 composite with a 35 in English and a 34 in reading. Our school had recommended the writing test so he took it and bombed it with a 6/12. He has taken all honors and AP English classes offered and done excellent. GPA is 3.95 unweighted. I wonder if his horrible handwriting played a role but now he is stuck with a 6 on writing. Should he retake the test just to improve that score? If so does he take it with writing again or simply try to score a 33 without writing and submit that score. He’s looking at Carleton, Pomona, Grinnell along with some others.

Sarah, One of the reasons the essay has been abandoned is just how fluky the results can be. I would not recommend retesting only to raise his Writing score.

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A Complete List of Colleges Requiring SAT/ACT 2023-2024

What’s covered:, which colleges are still requiring standardized tests, how will my sat/act score affect my chances of acceptance.

Over the past three years, test-optional policies have become more prevalent in college admissions, a trend that has been further exacerbated by the pandemic. While many institutions, including some of the best colleges, have extended or even made these policies permanent, prominent public universities and tech schools, particularly in the South, are taking a different stance and are returning to mandating standardized examinations. This hybrid strategy draws attention to the ongoing discussion over the usefulness of standardized tests in assessing student potential and emphasizes the need for students to remain aware of these changing admissions tactics.

So, if you’re wondering if a school on your list is still requiring standardized tests, keep reading to find out.

Note: Please make sure to check the official website of the school you’re applying to. Some schools may recommend taking standardized tests, but it’s not required. However, especially if the school is highly selective, a recommendation should generally be viewed as a requirement.

Many colleges still place a high value on your SAT or ACT score in the competitive college admissions landscape of today. CollegeVine’s free chancing engine provides a comprehensive solution to understand how your test scores, along with other profile elements like GPA and extracurriculars, affect your chances of acceptance.

With the help of this tool, you can include test results, extracurricular activities, and grades in your profile. Its special feature allows you to play around with different parameters, like possible higher SAT scores, to see how they might affect your chances of getting in. If you’re thinking about retaking the SAT or ACT and want to see how it might affect your college applications, this can be very helpful.

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The ACT Writing: What is the ACT essay, and should your student take it?

April 23, 2021

In the words of Shakespeare, “To take the writing or to not take the writing? That is the question.” Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly what he said, but it’s still a question that plagues many parents and students as they sign up for the ACT. As your cursor hovers over the registration button, you may be wondering if your child needs to opt for the essay section in addition to the full test. The short answer? Probably.

The writing portion of the ACT isn’t required by all schools, but around 300 colleges do require or at least recommend that applicants take it. If your student isn’t exactly sure where he or she wants to apply, then we recommend signing up for the writing to be on the safe side. This ensures that all bases are covered, and you won’t be in a bind if your student adds a last-minute school to their college list. The writing section cannot be taken separately from the ACT test, so you will need to plan for your student to take it along with the full test.

So what does taking the writing portion of the ACT mean?

The writing section is a 40-minute essay where students will showcase their abilities to form and support an argument. The paper-and-pencil test presents one writing prompt that describes a complex issue and gives three different perspectives on that issue.

Registration Fee

There is an extra registration fee to take the writing portion of the ACT. This is currently $16.

Preparation

Preparing to take the writing portion is relatively easy. It requires reading through the grading rubric and sample essays, and writing a few practice essays. Overall, a student should plan to devote a few hours to preparation. The ACT website has great resources to prepare, which can be found here . For parents, our online test prep platform Testive, has a guide just for you . Additionally, here are some tips to tackle the writing:

Fully understand the prompt before beginning the essay.

Plan and outline the essay by writing the thesis and the main idea for each paragraph.

Aim to write at least three pages in the exam booklet.

Write at least five paragraphs (introduction, minimum of three body paragraphs, and conclusion).

Use advanced vocabulary.

Do not criticize perspectives and remain objective.

The ACT writing is scored by two trained readers. Each reader will score the essay on a scale of 1 to 6 in each of the four writing domains. Each domain score represents the sum of the two readers' scores. The grading rubric can be found here . A score of 8 or more on the writing is exceptionally good, with 6 as the average score. The table below details the percentiles for each score and gives an idea for what range your student should target.

What about the SAT?

The ACT added the writing section in response to the SAT essay to keep the two tests equivalent. The main difference was that the SAT essay was required while the ACT writing was optional. This has now changed, however. In January of 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer be offering the essay portion of the SAT.

That’s it! Hopefully you have a better idea of whether or not your student should take the ACT essay. If your student needs assistance preparing for the essay or other sections of the tests, contact us today.

Should I Take The ACT With Writing? | Is ACT Writing Required?

What To Know About The ACT’s Optional Writing Section

When you prepare to sign up for the ACT, you might feel unsure about whether or not to take the ACT Writing portion because it’s an optional section. 

Since the section is an additional and optional portion of the ACT, you only need to take the ACT if the schools you are applying to require an ACT Writing score in their application.

However, there are a few factors to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to take the ACT Writing portion. Keep reading to find out more about what the section actually consists of and how to know if you should sign up to complete the optional Writing portion.

What Is The Writing Section Of The ACT?

The Writing section of the ACT is an optional, additional section taken after all other sections of the ACT.

The ACT Writing section is designed to test your ability to craft a concise, well constructed, and compelling essay under a time limit. In shorter terms, it’s basically a test of writing skills you should have picked up throughout your high school English classes.

In this optional section, you will receive a prompt that describes an issue of some kind. The prompt will also include three different perspectives on the issue described. Using the information in the prompt, you will have to write an essay in which you explain your own perspective on the issue. According to the official ACT website, your essay has to “analyze the relationship between your own perspective and one or more other perspectives [provided in the prompt].” Your score is not based on what perspective you take on the issue, but rather how well you were able to communicate your perspective and put it in conversation with other perspectives.

How Is The ACT Writing Section Scored?

The ACT Writing section is not part of your overall ACT score out of 36. Instead, you will receive a separate score if you choose to take the Writing section.

For the ACT Writing section, you will receive five scores from two different graders. The scorers will provide you with a “single subject level writing score reported on a scale of 2-12 and four domain scores that are based on an analytic scoring rubric.” Your subject score will be the rounded average of the four domain scores. 

For instance, Grader 1 will score your essay by giving you a score of 1-6 for each “domain” (section of the rubric). Grader 1 will take the average of the 4 domain scores to come to a final score of 1-6. Grader 2 will repeat this process, and your final ACT single subject score will be the sum of Grader 1 and Grader 2’s final scores. Therefore, if Grader 1 scores your essay as a 5 and Grader 2 scores your essay as a 4, then your total composite ACT Writing score will be 9 (out of 12). 

The four writing domains that your essay is scored on are:

• Ideas and analysis
• Development and support
• Organization
• Language use and conventions

Each of the writing domains will score your essay based on how well it demonstrated the writing techniques and conventions outlined by the separate domains.

The ideas and analysis domain will score your essay based on its ability to critically engage with the other perspectives given in the prompt. You will be scored in this domain based on your ability to appropriately address the issue given in the prompt and generate ideas relevant to the situation.

The development and support domain will score your essay based on its ability to explain and support your arguments and ideas. For instance, an essay that supports its arguments with both clear rationale and examples will receive a higher score than an essay that might just present an argument without much supporting evidence. If the reader is able to read your essay and understand your logic as you approach the prompt, you would likely receive a higher score in this domain.

The organization domain will score your essay based on the clarity and structure of your essay. It will evaluate your ability to organize your ideas in a way that flows logically and allows readers to clearly follow your points. This domain will determine how well your essay was able to guide readers through complex arguments and how well you showed the relationship between different ideas or points.

The language use and conventions domain will score your essay based on writing conventions like grammar, syntax, word choice (diction), and mechanics. This domain will also consider your writing tone, and whether your tone and style were effective and appropriate to communicate your argument.

What Is Considered A Good ACT Writing Score?

The lowest score you can receive on the ACT Writing section is 2 and the highest is 12. The average score is 6-7. To get a better feel for what a “good” ACT Writing score means, review the percentile chart below with data provided by the ACT itself.

Keep in mind that percentiles refer to how well you did in relation to other test takers. For instance, if you scored a 12 on the ACT Writing section and are in the 100th percentile, that means you scored higher than or on par with 100% of the students who took the ACT Writing section. The higher your percentile, the better.

How Long Is The ACT Writing Section?

If you register for the ACT with the optional writing portion, you will take the essay section after the four multiple choice sections of the ACT.

The ACT Writing section is 40 minutes long and consists of one writing prompt that you will address in your essay. 

Signing up for the optional essay portion means the ACT will last around 3 hours and 40 minutes, or around 4 hours including breaks in between sections. By contrast, the ACT without the Writing section will last around 3 hours, or 3 hours and 30 minutes including breaks. 

Is The Writing Portion Of The ACT Required?

As mentioned above, the Writing section of the ACT is completely optional.

However, there are a select few colleges in the United States that do require the ACT Writing section. Additionally, there are colleges and universities that do recommend that their applicants take the ACT with Writing. Even if you are not applying to schools that require the ACT Writing section, you might want to check if your target schools recommend it. Beyond strict requirement, there are multiple factors you should consider when you decide whether or not to take the ACT Writing section. 

Complete List Of Colleges Requiring ACT Writing

Only a few colleges require their applicants to take ACT Writing as of 2023. Some of them are listed below:

• Martin Luther Colleges
• Soka University of America
• United States Military Academy, also known as West Point
• University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
• Yellowstone Christian College

For a full list, read our article on “Colleges That Require ACT Writing.” If a college requires ACT Writing, they will not review your application unless you have completed the ACT with Writing. If you apply to any of the above colleges without an ACT Writing score, the admissions committee will mark your application as incomplete and will not review it.

Colleges That Recommend ACT Writing

There is a difference between colleges that recommend ACT Writing and colleges that simply accept ACT Writing scores. If a school’s admissions page or admissions officer states that their school recommends ACT Writing, this means a strong score could provide a boost to an application. On the other hand, if a school simply says they will accept ACT Writing scores, this means they will see your score, but it might not matter to the institution in terms of admission and might not affect your application at all.

Here is a list of schools in the U.S. that explicitly state that they recommend taking ACT Writing as of 2023:

• Bethune Cookman University
• Colorado School of Mines
• Morehouse College
• Molloy College

Does The Writing Section Of The ACT Affect Your ACT Score?

As mentioned above, the writing section of the ACT will not affect your composite ACT score out of 36. 

Instead, your ACT Writing score will be a separate score – for a more in-depth description of ACT scoring, refer to the previous section “How Is The ACT Writing Section Scored?”

Does The ACT Writing Section Score Affect College Admissions?

While this isn’t the answer you probably want to hear, the truth is that it just depends.

If you are applying to a school that explicitly requires that applicants take the ACT Writing section, then yes, the ACT Writing section score absolutely matters. In fact, if you don’t end up taking the optional Writing portion, these schools will not even review your application. 

However, there are only a handful of schools that require the optional Writing portion, meaning most of the schools you apply to will not be ACT Writing required. If you are applying to schools that are ACT Writing recommended, you should probably strongly consider signing up for the optional section. Colleges that explicitly recommend ACT Writing are indicating that a good ACT Writing score could impact your chances of admission, so practicing for and taking the optional section could really boost your application.

For most colleges and universities in the United States, the ACT Writing section is neither explicitly required nor recommended. So, you will need to use your best judgment when determining whether or not to sign up for the ACT with Writing. This must be done on a case to case basis, because everybody is different and will be applying to different schools and programs.

If you have your sights set on a highly competitive school, then you might want to consider taking the ACT with Writing. Since the pool of applicants is extremely strong for highly competitive schools like Ivy League schools, you want to give yourself the best chance of demonstrating skill and academic ability as possible. Practicing and studying for the ACT Writing section and scoring well will definitely be a plus, although it obviously might not be the deciding factor between admission and rejection. Since many students applying to top universities are extremely high achieving, they might have taken the ACT Writing section as well. 

Obviously, different students have different goals, strengths, and interests. So, if you are applying to a STEM-focused school with the stated intention of studying a STEM subject, then it might not be as relevant to college admissions officers what your ACT Writing score is compared to someone who is applying to a humanities college with the intent of studying journalism. However, just keep in mind that every discipline, even STEM, depends on writing to some extent (for instance, STEM-focused schools might want to know you would be able to write successful and publishable research papers). Therefore, if you have strong writing skills and time to practice for the optional Writing section, it would be a good idea to take the Writing portion.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the SAT has recently removed their optional essay portion completely, which has led to some changes in Writing section policy from many schools. One of the best ways to help determine whether or not you should sign up for the optional Writing portion is to look up the ACT Writing score policy for all of the schools you plan on applying to. If the schools you are applying to do not even consider ACT Writing scores in their admissions process, then it’s not worth the time and effort to take the additional section. 

What To Keep In Mind When Deciding Whether Or Not To Take ACT Writing

Cost and time.

The optional ACT Writing section does cost more money to register for. There is an extra $25 fee to sign up and sit for the Writing section. If this additional cost poses an issue, you might be able to qualify for a fee waiver to add the Writing section for free. Keep in mind that you can’t apply for a fee waiver yourself — your high school must apply for you. Therefore, if you think you may need a fee waiver, make sure to work with your school counselor to determine if you are eligible ahead of when you want to sign up for the exam. 

Additionally, the Writing section lasts 40 additional minutes as mentioned previously, meaning you will be at the test center after the required, multiple choice portions of the ACT have concluded. Students who didn’t sign up for the ACT Writing section will leave the testing center and those who have signed up for the additional section will stay.

Anticipated Score

If you are a strong writer and feel comfortable writing essays, then you should consider taking the ACT Writing portion even if you are not applying to colleges that require or recommend the ACT Writing section. 

Since the Writing section score is not included in the total composite score for the multiple choice sections of the ACT, it’s not considered to be super important unless you are applying to a school that has ACT required or recommended policies. So, if you’re a strong writer and feel confident in your ability, taking the ACT Writing section will just be another way to emphasize your communication and writing strength. If you are not a strong writer and struggle with English classes (and are not applying to an ACT required or recommended school), then you might not want to sign up since there is a larger risk to reward ratio. 

Generally, admissions officers do not place as much weight onto the ACT Writing score as they would for an applicant’s English grades and application essays. However, it is possible that a strong ACT Writing score can slightly boost an applicant’s chances of admission if they have demonstrated they have a slightly weaker English academic background (based on school transcripts). 

Study Schedule

In addition to the monetary cost associated with signing up for the additional Writing portion, there is also a time commitment required if you decide to take the ACT with Writing. 

If you sign up for the Writing section, then you should read through the grading rubrics to get an understanding of what they are looking for in an essay. You should also look for ACT Writing prompts and practice writing a cohesive essay in 40 minutes to practice writing under the stress of a time limit. 

For students who might be cramming for the ACT multiple choice sections and are working under a very tight timeframe, it might not be the best idea to also sign up for the ACT Writing section (again, unless they are applying to an ACT Writing required or recommended school). You should not sacrifice any ACT multiple choice section study time to study for the Writing section, as your composite ACT score is much more important than your ACT Writing score. Studying and preparing for the ACT Writing section should be an additional effort, not one that takes time away from your ACT preparation.

How To Prepare For The ACT Writing Section

The best way to prepare for the ACT Writing section is to review the scoring rubric and practice writing using ACT essay prompts. 

The ACT official website provides six different sample prompts that you can use to practice. Below, we’ll include the first sample prompt from the ACT’s website.

“This sample prompt, Intelligent Machines , is representative of the prompts that will be used for the ACT writing test.

The test describes an issue and provides three different perspectives on the issue. You are asked to read and consider the issue and perspectives, state your own perspective on the issue, and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective on the issue. Your score will not be affected by the perspective you take on the issue.

Sample 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.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. 

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.”

The official ACT website also includes sample responses , so you can read the sample essays they provide in response to the prompts in order to get a feel for what your essay might resemble. They even provide 6 different responses that receive different scores so you can read the difference and understand what essays might score well and what essays might not. Read the sample responses for the above prompt here .

For specific strategies and approaches to use in the ACT Writing section, read our article on “ACT Writing Tips To Ace Your Essay.”

ACT Writing Tips

• Don’t force extremely complex vocabulary. Including complex vocabulary words here and there can definitely boost your ACT score and perceived writing skills, but not if you are oversaturating your essay with complicated terms. Especially if you’re not sure how to spell a word or are shaky on its meaning, it’s best to choose a simpler word that you do know how to spell and use.
• Use legible handwriting. Graders don’t want to struggle to even read your essay. Give yourself the best chance of communicating your ideas by practicing clean and legible handwriting.
• Keep tone and audience in mind. Remember that your audience is an ACT Writing section grader, so don’t be overly casual in tone and stay away from inappropriate language.
• If possible, write as much as you can. ACT graders tend to reward longer essays, so if you can, try to write at least four paragraphs across 2-3 pages. However, if you don’t have any more points to make, do not repeat yourself just to pad your word count.

Prepare For The ACT Writing Section With SoFlo Tutors

Whether you’re planning on taking the ACT with or without the optional Writing section, work with SoFlo Tutors to boost your scores. SoFlo Tutors are students at top universities across the United States that scored in the highest percentiles of the SAT and ACT. Schedule a free consultation call or visit our website to learn more!

About The Author

Emily is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and will be working in marketing in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys painting and playing the guitar.

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Some top schools are bringing back ACT and SAT requirements — but most colleges are still test-optional. Here's what you need to know.

• Some colleges that were test-optional during the pandemic are requiring SAT or ACT scores again.
• Those schools have said that having scores will help them recruit a more diverse student body.
• Still, the majority of colleges in the country are remaining test-optional.

Some colleges are bringing standardized testing requirements back to their admissions processes after nixing them during the pandemic.

But they're still not in the majority.

Since the start of 2024, some prestigious schools announced they will once again require SAT or ACT scores in prospective students' applications. Dartmouth, for example, announced in February that while it took on the "test-optional" policy in response to the pandemic, it will be reinstating the testing requirement for the class of 2029.

"Our bottom line is simple: we believe a standardized testing requirement will improve—not detract from—our ability to bring the most promising and diverse students to our campus," the university said in a statement.

Yale and Brown made similar announcements, saying they conducted studies that found requiring testing allowed them to attract the most diverse student body.

"Our analysis made clear that SAT and ACT scores are among the key indicators that help predict a student's ability to succeed and thrive in Brown's demanding academic environment," Brown's Provost Francis Doyle said in a statement.

However, these elite schools are still outnumbered by the colleges that decided standardized testing stood in the way of otherwise-qualified applicants. According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, more than 80% of colleges will be test-optional for fall 2025 admissions.

"Test-optional policies continue to dominate at national universities, state flagships, and selective liberal arts colleges because they typically result in more applicants, academically stronger applicants and more diversity," FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder said in a statement.

The pros and cons surrounding standardized testing have been long-debated . While some argue the tests can put lower-income students at a disadvantage because they might not have access to the same tutoring resources that wealthier students have, others argue the tests give students from all backgrounds a way to show their skills — and give schools an easy way to choose who they should admit.

Dominique Baker, an associate professor at the University of Delaware who researches education policy — primarily financial aid and admissions policies — told Business Insider that the schools that are reinstating testing requirements right now didn't choose to go test-optional because they thought it was "a good policy decision." The pandemic forced them to do so because students couldn't get to testing sites, and that's no longer an issue.

"The institutions we're currently talking about, they're requiring tests again and didn't necessarily want to ever stop requiring tests," Baker said. "That matters."

Related stories

Here's what students should know about the schools changing their policies this year — and what it could mean for them.

The return of some testing requirements

While many of the Ivy League schools that are reinstating testing requirements cited their aim to help broaden diversity on campus, some other schools have put forth slightly different reasons for their shift in policies.

The University of Texas-Austin, for example, announced its reinstatement of testing requirements in March after shifting to test-optional during the pandemic. Its reason: requiring testing scores would help the school choose between many high school seniors with high GPAs.

"Our experience during the test-optional period reinforced that standardized testing is a valuable tool for deciding who is admitted and making sure those students are placed in majors that are the best fit," the university's president Jay Hartzell said in a statement. "Also, with an abundance of high school GPAs surrounding 4.0, especially among our auto-admits, an SAT or ACT score is a proven differentiator that is in each student's and the University's best interest."

However, other schools that adopted test-optional during the pandemic have chosen to maintain the practice. The University of Michigan, for example, announced in February that it would be formally adopting a test-optional admissions policy. It said that since the fall of 2020, the school saw "a significant increase in applications from students from all backgrounds," suggesting that a test-optional policy opened the door for a more diverse student body.

What it means for schools and students

One reason some schools have wanted to maintain test score requirements, Baker said, is because of their link to financial aid. While some financial aid is need-based — or based on a student or family's income level — a college can choose to award aid based on merit, which it evaluates using a student's GPA or test scores.

"Frequently, the most generous state financial aid that those states offer require test scores. And so what the state could do is they could say, 'We did a really short pause, but now we're going back to requiring test scores for these financial aid pieces,'" Baker said. "And state legislatures could also encourage institutions to go back to requiring tests. So I also think that there is a role that politics plays within this."

On top of that, the wide range of testing policies can be confusing for students. For many schools, the two test-optional and testing-required categories are just umbrellas — there can be different policies within each college, like requiring tests for an honors program but not for regular admission.

Even so, data has shown students have continued to take tests despite applying to schools with test-optional policies. According to the College Board, 1.9 million students in the high school class of 2023 took the SAT at least once, an increase from 1.7 million in 2022.

Moving forward, Baker said it's important that if more schools choose to switch their testing policies, they consider the announcement's timing.

"The more times you take the test, the better your score is. So if an institution announces in February or March that they're going to be requiring tests for the fall, then students really do not have a ton of time to take them," Baker said. "And so I do think that the timing of the announcement and the timing of when the policy takes effect really, really matter."

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Senate passes bill requiring fetal development videos in Tennessee public schools

School children in most Tennessee counties may soon be required to view a three-minute animated video depicting fetal development, such as one produced by an anti-abortion political action group, regardless of parental consent.

The House passed the legislation March 18 in 67-23 vote . Senators passed the bill Thursday in a vote of 21 to 6. Sens. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, who is a physician, abstained from the vote. Retiring Sen. Art Swann, R-Maryville, voted against the bill.

The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Lee's desk.

“This cutesy shiny pink video is offensively childish. It diminishes the complexity of reproductive health. It’s insulting to women and it’s insulting to the medical profession,” said Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville. “Pregnancy is a medical condition, and it’s a serious one. To turn women’s personal health challenges into propaganda videos to indoctrinate children is offensive.”

HB 2435/SB 2767  mandates the inclusion of a 3-minute computer-generated or high definition ultrasound video depicting fetal development in family life curricula across the state beginning in the 2024-25 school year. The bill cites as an example an animation developed by an anti-abortion activist group asserting that human life begins at conception.

The “Meet Baby Olivia” video is produced by Live Action, and while the legislation doesn't specifically require it, it touts it as an example of one that would fit the requirements. But that video has been criticized by Planned Parenthood leadership as “inaccurate and emotionally manipulative.” Tennessee  Democrats, too, have questioned the video’s neutrality and medical accuracy, and called it an effort “to advance the idea that fetuses are people and that abortion care is wrong.”

“Requiring something that is designed by a political website into our own curriculum, to me, is just a step too far,” said Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis. 

“This is using the school system to achieve a political education goal,” agreed Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville. 

Similar legislation, all specifically referencing Live Action’s Baby Olivia video, has passed or is being considered in Missouri, North Dakota, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Iowa. 

Live Action has publicly defended the medical and scientific accuracy of the Baby Olivia video, citing the source of many of the assertions made in the script as coming from the Endowment for Human Development, a bioethics nonprofit. During debate, Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, listed several physicians who have reviewed and endorsed Live Action’s Meet Baby Olivia video – all of whom are affiliated with anti-abortion groups. 

But the content of the video has not been endorsed by any neutral medical organization, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Nearly all of the physicians touted on Live Action's website who reviewed the video are also publicly affiliated with groups that advocate against abortion.

Live Action has criticized ACOG  as "a highly politicized organization that, despite the disagreement of thousands of its members, advocates for abortion on demand."

Bowling, who carried the bill on behalf of House sponsor Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, defended the film as scientifically accurate based on calculations of development made from the moment of fertilization – not from the time of a woman’s last menstrual period. 

“It does show conception – it’s an AI type of film, but it’s medically correct,” Bowling said. “It shows the moment a sperm unites with the egg and that is the beginning of life.”

Republicans voted down amendments from Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, seeking to make viewing the video optional, instead of required, and Akbari that would have prohibited schools from showing the "Meet Baby Olivia" video to school children without explicit written parental consent.

“I think that a parent should be able to choose whether or not their child sees something that's the equivalent of an ultrasound,” Akbari said.

Oliver said as a parent, she feels parents should have a say in the information their children are being exposed to.

“I've heard many members in this body talk about school choice, parent choice as the lay of the land and how it should be,” Oliver said. “It seems to be only when it fits a certain political ideology.”

Republicans also voted down an amendment sponsored by Senate Minority Caucus Chair London Lamar, D-Memphis, that would have required schools to make a disclaimer warning students that the video is “political propaganda,” and “medically inaccurate.” 

A fourth amendment from Campbell that would have required schools to teach comprehensive sex education, was also voted down. 

Family life curriculum is required by state law in all counties where the teen birth rate exceeds 19.5 per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19. That's 78 of the state's 95 counties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at [email protected] or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, act essay format and templates you can use.

ACT Writing

Most of the ACT is entirely multiple choice. All you have to worry about when answering the questions is that you're filling in the correct answer bubble!

But then there's that (optional) Writing section, which requires you to give your answer in words. How are you supposed to write a persuasive essay in 40 minutes? What format should your essay have? Is there an ACT essay template that can guarantee you a high score? We'll answer these questions in this article.

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What Does Your ACT Essay Need? 5 Key Elements

In order to do well on ACT Writing, your essay will need to have the following five elements (not necessarily in this order):

#1: An Introduction

The first thing the grader will see is your opening paragraph, so you should make a good impression. Don't just jump right into the meat of your essay— introduce your perspective (your thesis statement) and how it relates to the other perspective(s) you'll be discussing. You don't necessarily have to start out by writing your introduction (you can always leave a few lines blank at the top of your essay and come back to it after you've written your example paragraphs), but you MUST include it.

#2: Your Thesis Statement (should be in your introduction)

You must take a perspective on the issue presented in the prompt paragraph and state it clearly . I advise using one of the three perspectives the ACT gives you as your position/perspective; you can come up with your own perspective, but then you'll have less time to spend on writing the essay (which is not ideal with a time constraint). Your thesis statement (the statement of your perspective) should go in the introduction of your essay.

#3: A Discussion of the Relationship Between Perspectives

In your essay, you must discuss the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective . Make sure to discuss pros as well as cons for the perspectives you don't agree with to show you understand the complexities of the issue.

#4:  Examples or Reasoning to Support Each Point

To support your arguments for and against each perspective, you need to draw on reasoning or specific examples . This reasoning should be in the same paragraph as the arguments. For instance, if your argument is about how globalization leads to greater efficiency, you should include your support for this argument in the same paragraph.

And it's not enough to just say "Because freedom" or "Because Stalin" or something like that as your support and leave it at that. You need to actually explain how your reasoning or examples support your point.

#5: Clear Organization

Avoid discussing multiple points in one paragraph. Instead, our recommended strategy is to discuss one perspective per paragraph . This organization will not only make it easier for you to stay on track, but will also make it easier for your essay's scorers to follow your reasoning (always a good thing).

ACT Essay Outline

The 5-paragraph structure might seem boring, but it is a good way to keep your points organized when writing an essay. For the ACT essay, you'll need an introduction, two to three body paragraphs (at least one paragraph for each perspective), and a conclusion . You should state your thesis in your introduction and conclusion (using different words in your conclusion so that you're not repeating yourself exactly).

So how do you write in this five paragraph structure on the ACT? I'll show you how to put the plan into action with an essay template that can be used for any ACT essay question. First, here's the prompt I'll be using:

Public Health and Individual Freedom

Most people want to be healthy, and most people want as much freedom as possible to do the things they want. Unfortunately, these two desires sometimes conflict. For example, smoking is prohibited from most public places, which restricts the freedom of some individuals for the sake of the health of others. Likewise, car emissions are regulated in many areas in order to reduce pollution and its health risks to others, which in turn restricts some people's freedom to drive the vehicles they want. In a society that values both health and freedom, how do we best balance the two? How should we think about conflicts between public health and individual freedom?

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the conflict between public health and individual freedom.

Write a unified, coherent essay about the conflict between public health and individual freedom. In your essay, be sure to:

• clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective
• organize your ideas clearly and logically
• explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
• communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English

Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different.

Next, I'll break down the ACT essay into its individual parts (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) and give examples for what each should look like. Because I'm writing in response to a specific prompt, some of the information may not translate exactly from essay to essay; instead, focus on the structure of the paragraphs. I've bolded key structural words and phrases for you to focus on.

Introduction (2-3 sentences)

Begin your introduction with a general statement about the topic that draws the reader in; should provide some context for what you'll be discussing in the essay. Can be omitted if you're short on time (1-2 sentences).

As society progresses into the 21 st century, there are some pundits who create a false two-sided fight between individual liberty and complete dependence on the government.

Next comes your thesis statement that includes a clear position on the issue. For the highest score, you should also mention the other perspectives you'll be discussing in contrast to the position you've chosen (1 sentence).

While individual freedom is essential to society, the freedom to avoid health risks should supersede freedom of the individual when individual behavior endangers others.

Sample ACT essay introduction:

As society progresses into the 21 st century, there are some pundits who create a false two-sided fight between individual liberty and complete dependence on the government. While individual freedom is essential to society, the freedom to avoid health risks should supersede freedom of the individual when individual behavior endangers others.

Body Paragraph 1 (Opposing perspective) (5-7 sentences)

Open with a transition to a different perspective (1 sentence).

Perspective Two espouses the view that "[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither."

Alternatively, if you don't want to name the specific perspective that opposes yours (or if you can't because you're comparing your perspective to a combination of ones given by the ACT):

Proponents of freedom of the individual above all else espouse the view that "[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither."

Next, provide an example of how this perspective is somewhat true and explain why (2-3 sentences).

This perspective is true to some extent. For instance, in the Civil Rights movement, schools were integrated at the cost of both the mental well-being of racists, who had to deal with the blow to their world view, and the physical and emotional well-being of those being integrated, who had to deal with the abuse flung upon them by said racists. The freedom to attend any public school was deemed more important to society than the temporary mental, emotional, and in some cases physical health risks caused by that freedom.

Provide an example of how this perspective is mostly false when compared to the perspective you agree with and explain why (2-3 sentences).

However, Perspective Two[/this absolutist perspective] is not always a useful way to think about the world, particularly when life and death is at stake. During the Civil Rights movement, parents who were afraid their children might incur physical or even fatal harm from being forced to integrate still had the freedom to homeschool; the same goes for parents who were racist and did not wish their children to interact with children of "lesser" races. While the government pushed the issue of freedom of all people to attend all public schools, it could not make it mandatory for every child to attend a public school (rather than being homeschooled, or attending private or church school) and risk physical injury or worse.

Sample Body Paragraph (Opposing Perspective):

Perspective Two espouses the view that "[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither." This perspective is true to some extent. For instance, in the Civil Rights movement, schools were integrated at the cost of both the mental well-being of racists, who had to deal with the blow to their world view, and the physical and emotional well-being of those being integrated, who had to deal with the abuse flung upon them by said racists. The freedom to attend any public school was deemed more important to society than the temporary mental, emotional, and in some cases physical health risks caused by that freedom. However, Perspective Two is not always a useful way to think about the world, particularly when life and death is at stake. During the Civil Rights movement, parents who were afraid their children might incur physical or even fatal harm from being forced to integrate still had the freedom to homeschool; the same goes for parents who were racist and did not wish their children to interact with children of "lesser" races. While the government pushed the issue of freedom of all people to attend all public schools, it could not make it mandatory for every child to attend a public school (rather than being homeschooled, or attending private or church school) and risk physical injury or worse.

Body Paragraph 2 (Opposing perspective) (5-7 sentences)

Same as above, except with another perspective you disagree with/don't entirely agree with. Make sure to use transition words so that the change of topic (from the previous perspective) isn't abrupt or unexpected.

To make your example of the Spanish Inquisition less unexpected, make sure to use transitions.

As of September 2016, the ACT no longer requires you to discuss all three perspectives in your essay; instead, you need only "clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective."

If you've chosen only to discuss the relationship between your perspective and one other perspective, then this second body paragraph is optional . However, if you're limiting your analysis to one other perspective , then in order to fully explore the relationship between this other perspective and your own point of view you'll most likely need a second paragraph . In that case, this body paragraph should be similar in structure to the previous body paragraph.

Body Paragraph 3 (Your perspective) (5-7 sentences)

Acknowledge the value of the other perspective(s) you discussed, but affirm that your perspective is the truest one (1-2 sentences).

As can be seen from the examples above, sometimes the greater good means individual freedom is more important than personal health. For the most part, however, allowing individual behavior to harm others damages both freedom and health.

Provide one final example of why this perspective is true (3-5 sentences).

Some parents worry that vaccines contain toxic chemicals and so have fought for the right to not vaccinate their children against once deadly diseases like measles. By being allowed this freedom, however, these parents are not only putting their children at risk of catching these virulent diseases, but are risking the life of anyone with a compromised immune system who comes into contact with a non-vaccinated child. The results of the anti-vaccination movement can be seen in cases like the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland and the mumps outbreak at a New York City daycare company; both of these outbreaks unfortunately led to fatalities. When the health risks caused by personal freedom reach life-and-death stakes, it is necessary to restrict individual freedom in favor of freedom to avoid preventable health risks.

Sample Body Paragraph (Your Perspective):

As can be seen from the examples above, sometimes the greater good means individual freedom is more important than personal health. For the most part, however, allowing individual behavior to harm others damages both freedom and health. Some parents worry that vaccines contain toxic chemicals and so have fought for the right to not vaccinate their children against once deadly diseases like measles. By being allowed this freedom, however, these parents are not only putting their children at risk of catching these virulent diseases, but are risking the life of anyone with a compromised immune system who comes into contact with a non-vaccinated child. The results of the anti-vaccination movement can be seen in cases like the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland and the mumps outbreak at a New York City daycare company; both of these outbreaks unfortunately led to fatalities. When the health risks caused by personal freedom reach life-and-death stakes, it is necessary to restrict individual freedom in favor of freedom to avoid preventable health risks.

Conclusion (1-2 sentences)

Transition into restating your thesis, using different words (1-2 sentences).

Sample ACT Essay conclusion:

America was built on the idea that there is a fundamental right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—in that order. When individual behavior puts others' lives at risk, it must be curtailed.

Putting Your Essay Together

Here is my final ACT essay template (excluding the second body paragraph):

[Body paragraph two on the other opposing perspective would go here]

Even though there are some minor grammatical issues in this essay, because they don't significantly affect the readability of the essay they don't matter. There are also some factual inaccuracies in this essay (as far as I know, there haven't been any reports of a mumps outbreak in NYC daycare facilities), but that doesn't matter for the ACT as long as the facts are persuasive and make sense in the context of the essay . Adding false information about a mumps outbreak added to the persuasive impact of the essay, so I put it in, whereas I couldn't figure out a way to work dinosaurs into this essay, and so they were not included.

Next essay, my velociraptor friend. Next essay.

How Do You Write Essays In This Format?

Now that you have a structural template for your ACT essay, how and when do you use it?

An essay template is most helpful during the planning phase of your essay. Whether you're writing a practice essay or taking the test for real, it's important to take the time to plan out your essay before you start writing. I personally believe 8-10 minutes is a good amount of planning time to start out with, although you may get faster at planning as you practice, leaving more time for writing and revising.

It might be tempting to leave out this planning stage so that you have more time to read the prompt or write. Don't fall into this trap! If you don't take the time to plan, you run the risk of writing a disorganized essay that doesn't really support your argument or omits how one of the other perspectives relates to yours. If you're struggling with decoding the prompts, be sure to read my article on how to attack ACT Writing prompts ; it'll help you break down every ACT Writing prompt so that you can extract the information you need to write your essay.

In addition to using this essay template when you're planning out your essay, you also need to make sure you practice writing this kind of essay before you take the real ACT Plus Writing. Don't expect to just memorize this outline and be good to go on test day—you'll need to practice putting the template to good use. Practice with as many ACT Writing prompts as you can—our complete guide to ACT Writing prompts will get you started.

ACT Essay Format: A Quick Recap

Remember, your essay should be in the following format:

• Your point of view on the essay topic (easiest to choose one of the three perspectives the ACT gives you).
• Reason why it's true (with reasoning or examples for support)
• Reason why it's not as true as your perspective (with reasoning or examples for support)
• One last reason why your perspective is true (with reasoning or examples for support).
• Conclusion (with your thesis restated)—1-2 sentences

What's Next?

Want to learn more about how to write a top-scoring ACT essay? Watch as I construct an ACT essay, step-by-step .

Looking to put the icing on your ACT essay cake? Check out our top 15 ACT Writing tips and strategies .

Wondering how much you have to write to do well on ACT Writing? Read this article on essay length and your ACT Writing score .

Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points?

Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program . We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more.

Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses . If you liked this ACT Writing lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get your ACT essays hand-graded by a master instructor who will give you customized feedback on how you can improve. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next.

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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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Nickelodeon and Disney Stars Find a Second Act on Podcasts

The cast of the Nickelodeon series “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” are among the stars of 2000s teen sitcoms who are using podcasts to connect with their Gen Z and millennial fan bases.

By Rebecca Carballo

For three years starting when he was just 12 years old, Devon Werkheiser dispensed advice for bearing the indignities of middle school as the title character in the Nickelodeon series “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. ” Two decades later, he said, people still recognize him as Ned Bigby.

“There was a time when I wanted to transcend ‘Ned’s,’” Werkheiser said, “but maybe it’s the answer in getting me where I want to go.”

Now 33, he’s made peace with his past and is still giving tips to his peers, only he is using a more modern medium. In “Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide,” he and his former “Ned’s” castmates Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee dish about the show, which aired from 2004 to 2007, and open up about past personal and career struggles.

The three are among a cohort of former child stars, many from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows from the 2000s, who have started podcasts as a way of connecting with a nostalgic Gen Z and millennial fan base. In doing so, they are embracing roles that they played as children and teenagers — characters that some had spent years trying to move beyond, with mixed success.

“Part of the truth is, if any of our careers were maybe further along, maybe we wouldn’t be doing podcasts,” Werkheiser said in an interview. “There are comments that speak to that, as if we don’t know.”

Since the “Ned’s” podcast debuted in February 2023, several exchanges have caused a stir among its 717,000 TikTok followers. Shaw, who played Moze on the show, spoke about her past struggles with substance abuse . Werkheiser gave an emotional account of his time on the set of the troubled Alec Baldwin western “Rust.” And he and Shaw punctured the innocent image of their old show with an awkward exchange about their fumbling offscreen sexual encounters.

Werkheiser was approached about starting a “Ned’s” rewatch podcast by Brendan Rooney. Rooney founded the PodCo podcast network last year with his wife, Christy Carlson Romano, a former child star who played Ren Stevens, the overachieving older sister in the Disney Channel series “Even Stevens.”

In addition to the “Ned’s” podcast, the company also produces “Wizards of Waverly Pod,” hosted by former stars of the Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place,” about three sibling wizards in training. Romano, who also voiced the title character in the Disney Channel animated series “Kim Possible,” hosts two podcasts of her own, including one with Anneliese van der Pol, a former star of the Disney Channel sitcom “That’s So Raven.”

The audience for podcasts continues to grow, with 42 percent of Americans 12 and older reporting last year that they had listened to one in the previous month, according to a report by Edison Research . Making money isn’t simple, in part because the market is so saturated that there isn’t enough advertising revenue to go around, said Ethan Cramer-Flood, a principal forecasting writer at Insider Intelligence, a market research firm.

PodCo, which was founded last year, expects to turn a profit by the second quarter of 2024, Romano said. The company plans to introduce several new podcasts this year, including “Pretty Little Pod” featuring Shaw and Tammin Sursok, who appeared together in the ABC Family series “Pretty Little Liars.”

Romano said it was never her plan to capitalize on nostalgia. Rather, she said, she ended up greenlighting shows featuring former stars of Disney and Nickelodeon teen sitcoms because they were people she knew and could trust.

She hopes the podcasts are places these stars can feel heard, she said.

“We’ve been a silent, niche population of people that were conditioned to be compliant and never truly understood our autonomy,” Romano said. “I want to show them that they can be empowered by having these podcasts.”

The hosts haven’t been afraid to get personal.

Jennifer Stone, who played Harper Finkle on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” recalled feeling left out on set at times in an emotional exchange on “Waverly Pod” with her co-host and former co-star David DeLuise. Alyson Stoner, who was a host of the Disney Channel series “Mike’s Super Short Show” and was in the film “Cheaper by the Dozen,” has discussed being stalked and other pressures of child stardom on their podcast, “Dear Hollywood,” which is not a PodCo franchise.

As they adjust to the new platform, the hosts have occasionally landed themselves in trouble. The “Ned’s Declassified” stars appeared in a TikTok live video on March 18 in which they appeared to mock Drake Bell, a former star of the Nickelodeon series “Drake & Josh” who shared his account of being sexually abused by his dialogue coach in “ Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV ,” a new Investigation Discovery documentary series.

There was a swift backlash , including a rebuke from Bell. Within days, the “Ned’s” hosts apologized, saying they had not seen the series when they were asked to comment on it, and that they did not have a grasp of the gravity of the allegations.

“Now we’ve watched it, and I get it,” Werkheiser said in the March 22 episode . “If I had just watched, especially, that third episode and then watched us joking like that, I would be like: ‘Are they sociopaths? Is there something wrong with them?’”

The hosts have also used their shows as a forum to talk about what they’re doing now. Werkheiser, who has spoken about having trouble finding work as an actor after “Ned’s,” described his elation at being cast as a cowboy in “Rust” turning to anguish, after a revolver that Baldwin, the film’s star, was handling discharged a live round, killing the cinematographer .

After the film’s safety protocols were called into question, Werkheiser spoke about it in a March 2023 episode .

“Every set has some chaos; every set is cutting corners and cutting budgets,” he said. “I can only speak for my experience. But in my experience, it was no different than any other set I’d ever been on.”

For Werkheiser, the podcast came about when he needed it, he said. In 2021, he spent countless hours on a pitch for a “Ned’s” reboot, a survival guide for young adults, only for the studio to pass on it in a brief email. His career was floundering, and he “spiraled into deep depression,” he said.

About a year later, Rooney approached him about starting a podcast. Werkheiser quickly embraced the medium, which he said gives him more freedom than he would have on a scripted show. He also relished the chance to reconnect with Shaw and Lee.

“It feels like we’re back on set a little bit,” he said. “Some parts of our childish selves come out, so it does feel like we picked up where we left off.”

Rebecca Carballo is a reporter based in New York. More about Rebecca Carballo

The State of Podcasting

Over the last few years, the industry has been one of the hottest corners in media..

The cast of the Nickelodeon series “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” are among the stars of 2000s teen sitcoms who are using podcasts to connect with their Gen Z and millennial fan bases .

Christian Duguay’s podcast, “Valley Heat,” purports to be about the neighbors in the Rancho Equestrian District of Burbank, Calif. One thing is for sure: It’s masterfully absurd .

The success of Alex Cooper’s podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” has birthed a new media company. Can this millennial solve the riddle of what Gen Z wants ?

A host of media companies are all aiming to capitalize on interest in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump  with true-crime podcasts.

Two “grown dirtbags,” as they put it, are behind the podcast “Throwing Fits,” which is loosely centered on men’s fashion  in a format similar to sports-talk shows.

The SAT is coming back at some colleges. It’s stressing everyone out.

A patchwork of admissions test policies is wreaking havoc on students, parents and college admissions consultants.

A California mother drove 80 miles this month to find an SAT testing center with an open seat where her high school junior could take the exam. During college tours this spring, a teen recalled hearing some would-be applicants groan when admissions staffers announced they could not guarantee test-optional policies would continue.

And across the country, college counselors are fielding questions from teenagers alarmed, encouraged or simply confused by what seems like the return of the standardized test in admissions — maybe? Sort of? In some places, but not in others?

“You could be expecting and preparing for a certain way to apply to a college and present yourself — but then they change it mid-application process,” said Kai Talbert, a 17-year-old high school junior in Pennsylvania. “That’s really confusing. It can set back a lot of people.”

Colleges nationwide have been updating their coronavirus-era policies on standardized testing, which many dropped when the pandemic shut down in-person testing centers. Some of the most selective schools are declaring they will require tests again — including, across the last two months, Dartmouth College and Yale and Brown universities. Others, such as the University of Chicago and Columbia University, won’t. And still others have not yet picked a permanent policy: Princeton, Stanford, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania have said they will remain test-optional for another year or two, and Harvard University plans to keep its test-optional policy at least through the 2025-26 application cycle.

Public universities have veered in different directions, too: The University of Tennessee system requires tests. The University of Michigan will be test-optional. The University of California system is test-blind, meaning schools refuse to consider SAT or ACT scores for admissions.

The patchwork of policies is wreaking havoc on applicants, parents and college admissions consultants nationwide, who are being forced to recalculate where and how they are willing to apply — or what to tell anxious teenagers about whether to test, retest or skip testing entirely — as decisions keep rolling out in real time.

Laurie Kopp Weingarten, founder of One-Stop College Counseling in New Jersey, said she has a new response whenever a student gives her a list of their school targets. She starts by going down the list, school by school, to review each institution’s testing rules and whether those seem likely to change.

Taking a breath, Weingarten rattled off a summary of the different testing requirements in place at every Ivy League school. It took her three minutes.

“Even just saying it, it sounds like insanity to me, and then we’re expecting kids to understand this?” Weingarten said. “Colleges should really analyze the data, come up with a decision and stop changing their mind.”

The shifting testing expectations are among many changes roiling college admissions this year. Colleges are still grappling with the fallout from the landmark Supreme Court ruling that ended the use of race-based affirmative action in admissions. Many are undertaking an array of experiments in response to the decision in a bid to maintain diverse admitted classes — ending legacy preferences in some cases, adding essay prompts on adversity or identity in others, or increasing outreach in low-income areas.

And the disastrous rollout of a federal financial aid form that was supposed to simplify the notoriously difficult process has left students, parents and schools scrambling .

This is the most hectic and distressing admissions cycle in recent memory, said Jennifer Nuechterlein, a college and career counselor at a New Jersey high school. She laid special blame on schools that reinstated testing mandates in the past two months, some of which affect the high school juniors who will begin applying in the fall. This class of teens will have to take the SAT or ACT, should they decide to do so, within the next six months.

“Students can’t just test overnight,” Nuechterlein said. “There are students who want to prep, there are students who are not math- or English-ready. ... Students are going to be unprepared.”

For the most ambitious, high-achieving students, the tests are another stressful hurdle to clear as they apply to the most selective colleges. And for many other students, the test scores — even if not required for admission — are mandatory if they want to qualify for some financial aid programs or, on some campuses, certain degree programs.

Critics of standardized tests have argued that they mirror, or exacerbate, societal inequities, in part because students from unstable homes or with limited resources cannot afford SAT or ACT tutors or testing preparation classes, or may not know of free resources such as Khan Academy . Even before the pandemic, some schools had moved to make the scores optional to avoid creating another barrier for students.

Then the pandemic hit, spurring a crisis response when students literally could not access spaces in which to take standardized tests, said Dominique J. Baker, a University of Delaware associate professor of education and public policy who studies admissions policies.

“There were a number of institutions that never would have chosen to have gone test-optional except the pandemic made them,” she said. “Those institutions, by and large, are going back to requiring test scores.”

MIT, Georgetown University and the University of Florida are among schools that quickly chose to reinstate the requirements, with MIT announcing the change in 2022. Many others have spent the years since the virus arrived studying what effect going test-optional had on their admitted classes.

At Brown, Yale and Dartmouth, officials said they had found something surprising: Considering test scores would help them identify more promising applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, not fewer. After looking at their own data, leaders at the three Ivy League schools say they concluded that SAT and ACT scores are highly predictive of students’ academic performance in college, more so than high school grades. They also found that some less-advantaged students withheld their scores when sharing them would have boosted their chances.

Depriving admissions officers of SAT and ACT scores meant they were less able to evaluate an applicant’s chances of thriving at Brown, Provost Francis J. Doyle III said in an interview this month .

“Our analysis suggested our admissions could be more effective if we brought back testing as an instrument,” Doyle said.

The University of Texas at Austin is also choosing to require testing again, the school announced earlier this month. Jay Hartzell, the school’s president, said he and others worried the cost and preparation associated with the tests could keep students from applying. But about 90 percent of UT Austin applicants in the latest round took the SAT even though it was optional, Hartzell said. And the school found that students who declined to submit scores were less successful once enrolled.

John Friedman, a professor of economics and international and public affairs at Brown, said he wouldn’t be surprised if more of those highly selective schools reinstate a testing requirement. He was one of the authors of the study from Opportunity Insights, a nonprofit at Harvard University, on standardized test scores and student performance at a dozen “Ivy-plus” universities.

“It’s not just about the test scores being a good predictor,” he said. “We show in the paper that students who attend a school, having been admitted without a test score, perform at the bottom of the distribution.” He said schools should look at their own data to determine their policy.

Nonetheless, most schools nationwide will probably remain test-optional, predicted Angel Pérez, the chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. For many institutions, he said, the policy has been a huge success, bumping up the number of applicants and diversifying admitted classes.

He added that most American high-schoolers are applying to schools that admit nearly all applicants, to public schools or to colleges close to home, he said: “So the majority of students aren’t going to be impacted.”

Morehouse College is among those maintaining a test-optional policy, which the historically Black college adopted in 2020. Since going test-optional, Morehouse has seen an increased number of applicants and an increased acceptance rate from admitted students, said Michael Gumm, Morehouse’s director of admissions and recruitment.

The majority of Morehouse applicants choose not to submit scores, Gumm said, and more students are completing their applications than in the past. He said Morehouse is looking for leaders, so essays and letters of recommendation carry a lot of weight.

Gumm said he often preaches to students: “Your test scores do not make you who you are.”

But for some students, the tests remain a priority. Alina Bunch, a 16-year-old high school junior in Texas, said that even when she saw schools dropping test requirements, she never altered her plan to take the ACT. The exam, she says, is a way to demonstrate determination and academic rigor.

She thinks it’s generally a good thing that schools are bringing back testing requirements, because they can function as a mechanism of standardization in a sometimes subjective admissions process. She does fear the effects of reinstating test requirements for students who cannot afford tutoring.

But for herself — after taking a summer course to prepare for the ACT and scoring high on the exam — she has no real worries. “It was never a question for me, of whether I should do it or not,” Alina said.

Many students pursued similar strategies, continuing to take standardized tests throughout the test-optional trend. After a dramatic drop in 2020 spurred by the sudden closure of test sites, the number of students taking the SAT nationally has risen every year since, per the College Board, and reached 1.9 million for the class of 2023. That’s about 300,000 short of the last pre-pandemic total, when 2.2 million members of the class of 2019 sat for the exam — the largest-ever group to do so.

Joan Koven, who heads college consulting company Academic Access in Pennsylvania, said she never expected standardized testing to suffer a real drop in popularity.

“The ACTs and the SATs are Burger King and McDonald’s,” she said. “They’re not going away.”

But in some places, counselors wish they would. Priscilla Grijalva, a high school counselor in California’s San Jacinto Unified School District, said the elimination of test requirements in the UC system and California State University campuses was a godsend for the nearly 300 students she works with every year, a mix of White, Black and Latino teens, most of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

In the past, many of her students applied only to community colleges. But now she has seen a sharp rise in those willing to aim for state universities.

“It has changed our students’ mindsets,” Grijalva said. “Now it’s like, ‘Hey, I can do this.’ They’re more confident in their leadership and their grades.”

But the flurry of recent announcements from schools altering their testing rules has proved alarming, she said. Her students “do feel the pressure coming back,” she said. “They’re starting to talk.”

Claire Elkin, 16, overheard some of this nervous chatter when she was touring colleges this spring with her family — making visits to places including the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At every school, recalled Claire, who took the ACT and intends to submit her scores, admissions tour leaders said something like: “Yeah, we’re test-optional now, but we can’t guarantee anything for you.”

Every time, the crowds of hopefuls around Claire broke into murmurs that ranged from anguished to angry, she said. She remembered one family whose daughters seemed especially upset, spurring the mother to jump into emergency action trying to calm the girls as the admissions presentation continued.

“A lot of kids my age can’t set a path right now for what they should be prioritizing when they’re applying for schools,” Claire said. “So there is definitely more panic.”

An earlier version of this article included incorrect information about the rise in the number of students who have taken the SAT since a drop sparked by the pandemic. The number of students taking the test reached 1.9 million for the class of 2023, about 300,000 fewer than for the class of 2019. The article has been corrected.

How can we prevent child abuse? Tougher rules for home-school families would help.

Horrific stories of harm are by no means representative of the home-schooling movement. but without commonsense protections, abusers can use home-schooling to hide their crimes..

Home-schooling is the fastest-growing type of education in the United States, with roughly  3.7 million kids home-schooled last fall, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That's even more than are enrolled in Catholic schools .

Contrary to stereotype, a Washington Postanalysis found that families who choose home-schooling increasingly come from diverse socioeconomic, political, religious, racial and geographic backgrounds. Families who have started home-schooling since 2020 are roughly split between Republicans and Democrats. Only 34% of home-schooling parents cite religious reasons for their choice, down from 63% in 2012.

Nor is home-schooling necessarily a rural or small-town phenomenon. Per the Post's analysis, since 2018, the number of kids being taught at home has grown by more than 350%  in neighborhoods in both rural South Carolina and New York City.

For many families, home-schooling can address their child's unique needs that would be challenging to support in a conventional classroom. Some studies also have shown that  home-schooled kids perform better on standardized exams and are more socially and emotionally developed than their classroom-educated peers.

Home-schooling can make it harder to identify child abuse

Yet, we're allowing too many home-schooled children to remain in unsafe situations. Home-schooled kids  are not more likely  to be abused or neglected than other children. But when home-schooled children are abused, it's harder to identify and stop.

We must act now to protect those kids.

Parenting styles: My 8-year-old daughter got her first sleepover invite. There's no way she's going.

Occasionally, when cases of abuse escalate, they make national news. Gypsy Rose Blanchard, subject of a recent documentary , was abused for years under the guise of home-schooling.

So were the 13 Turpin siblings , who were imprisoned and starved by their parents.

But for every high-profile case, thousands of other children suffer in isolation. The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is building a database of abuse and neglect among home-schooled kids. So far, it has documented more than 400 cases , including some involving multiple children, and more than 200 fatalities.

Kids in public and private schools are less vulnerable than their home-schooled peers because the staff have opportunities to identify the signs and symptoms of child abuse and to notify authorities. Across the country, teachers, day care instructors and health care providers are required by state laws to report suspected abuse. School personnel identify more than half  of all cases.

When home-schooled children are isolated from adults who are required to report, abuse can go undetected. When it does, it's more likely to escalate to severe or fatal forms. In a  study of child victims of torture , 13 of the 17 school-age victims were home-schooled or never allowed to attend school.

States need to strengthen reporting requirements

As home-schooling continues to grow in popularity, all 50 states need to adopt legislation that prevents children from falling through the cracks, especially given that a growing number of states, including Arizona and Florida , allow home-schooling families to use publicly funded vouchers.

We all have a stake in ensuring that the money is not being misused to conceal abused children.

Social media emboldens abusers: Child sex abuse content is exploding online. We're losing the fight against it.

For a start, home-schooling parents must be required to notify officials of their choice. In  11 states , including Texas, Illinois and New Jersey, parents don't have to notify anyone that they've decided to home-school their kids.

States also need to make sure that home-schooling families know how to spot and report abuse. In  38 states , Erin's Law, named for abuse survivor and activist Erin Merryn, requires public schools to implement programs that teach students, staff and parents to recognize abuse.

The courses work: Educators in Texas increased their reporting of previously unrecognized child abuse by 82% after training .

But the requirements of Erin's Law don't extend to home-schooled children. These families need to receive the same education on abuse that public schools provide.

Finally, there is currently no law to prevent parents from withdrawing their child from public school during the course of an abuse case. Some of the most tragic instances of child abuse have occurred after an educator reported the signs and a parent subsequently initiated home-schooling. We need regulations to keep kids in school during an active investigation until authorities can be sure that the home is safe.

Horrific stories of harm are by no means representative of the home-schooling movement. But without commonsense protections, abusers can use home-schooling as a tool to hide their crimes until it's too late.

Teresa Huizar is CEO of the National Children's Alliance , America's largest network of care centers for child abuse victims.

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A Classical & Christ-Centered Education

Classical Christian Education

Christ-centered.

In all its levels, programs, and teaching, Logos School seeks to: Teach all subjects as parts of an integrated whole with the Scriptures at the center (II Timothy 3:16-17); Provide a clear model of the biblical Christian life through our staff and board (Matthew 22:37-40); Encourage every student to begin and develop his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 19:13-15).

In all its levels, programs, and teaching, Logos School seeks to: Emphasize grammar, logic, and rhetoric in all subjects (see definitions below); Encourage every student to develop a love for learning and live up to his academic potential; Provide an orderly atmosphere conducive to the attainment of the above goals.

Grammar : The fundamental rules of each subject. Logic : The ordered relationship of particulars in each subject. Rhetoric : How the grammar and logic of each subject may be clearly expressed.

What Do We Mean by Classical?

In the 1940’s the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay titled The Lost Tools of Learning . In it she not only calls for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the “Trivium” – grammar, logic, rhetoric, she also combines three stages of children’s development to the Trivium. Specifically, she matches what she calls the “Poll-parrot” stage with grammar, “Pert” with logic, and “Poetic” with rhetoric (see The Lost Tools Chart ). At Logos, the founding board members were intrigued with this idea of applying a classical education in a Christian context. Doug Wilson, a founding board member explained the classical method further in his book, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning. Logos School has been committed to implementing this form of education since the school’s inception.

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