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• Schedule Flexibility Policy​
• School Establishment: For Spring 2027 testing, ISBE will provide school information to ACT from its Entity Profile System (EPS). On November 9, 2026, district superintendents, school principals, and high school test coordinators listed in EPS as of October 30, 2026, are scheduled to receive an email prompting them to create an account in ACT Now, the test administration setup application. After this email is received, these individuals may begin setting up for ACT + Science + Writing testing. Setup activities include, but are not limited to, confirming or declining participation, selecting Test Event Dates, and adding other testing staff as needed. ACT + Science + Writing must be set up in ACT Now for each invited school/program no later than February 12, 2027. On January 4, 2027, PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure assessments will become available in ACT Now to allow set up activities for each of these assessments. PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure must be set up separately in ACT Now for each invited school/program no later than March 26, 2027. Make sure your email system allows the following domains:
• @operations.act.org
• @act.org
• Contact Information
• ACT Phone: 855-730-0400
  
• Option 1 for Accommodations
  
• Option 2 for state ACT + Science + Writing
• Option 3 for PreACT Secure Assessments
  
• Regular Hours: 8:30am – 5pm​ CST
  
• January through May Hours: 6am- 6pm CST
  
• PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure Email: preact@act.org
• ACT + Science + Writing Email: statetesting@act.org​
  
• ACT + Science + Writing Accommodations Phone: 855-730-0400, option 1
  
• ACT + Science + Writing Accommodations Email: actstateaccoms@act.org​
  
• For detailed information on the enhanced ACT, including subject-specific comparisons, please refer to the following link. Science and Writing are not optional for Spring 2027 Illinois state testing. 
  
• Standards Crosswalk: Illinois (PreACT 9, Secure PreACT Secure, The ACT)​
  
• 2026-27 Illinois ACT State Testing Office Hours-Register Now!
  
• ACT User Role Matrix 
  For spring 2027, ISBE will be following Scenario 1 on page 3. Therefore, the following two roles are not applicable in Illinois: Organization Invitation Importer and Student Data Importer.
  
• ​Layout Requirements for ACT User Role Matrix
  
• ​CSV Template for ACT User Role Matrix
• 2026-27 Technical Guide for Online Testing
  
• ACT Writing Test Scoring Rubric 
• ACT Calculator Policy 
  
• Desmos Calculator 
• Diploma Exemption Documents
  Submit a diploma exemption only for a student who will be scheduled to receive a regular high school diploma before the next administration of the state's final accountability assessment (i.e., ACT + Science + Writing or grade 11 DLM-AA) and hasn't tested or been identified in SIS as being exempt or for a student whose exemption was not identified through ISBE SIS programming according to the flowchart document. If your district believes there is evidence in SIS of an exemption, please write to assessment@isbe.net for verification before completing any of the diploma exemption paperwork.
• Instructions for Secure Submission to ISBE
  
• Exemption Request form
  
• Certification of Request form
  

• Illinois Assessment Update Webinars (under "Presentations and Webinars")
• Illinois Assessment Update Webinar Archive
  

ACT offers several webinar trainings to assist educators on a wide array of topics. ​

• Illinois Spring 2027 ACT Accommodations Webinar
  Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (11am CST)
  Register Now!
• Illinois Spring 2027 ACT Pre-Test Webinar
  Friday, November 6, 2026 (11am CST)
  Register Now!
• Illinois Spring 2027 ACT Test Day Webinar
  Friday December 4, 2026 (11am CST)
  Register Now!
• Illinois Spring 2027 PreACT 9 Secure/PreACT Secure Pre-Test Webinar
  Wednesday, January 13, 2027 (11am CST)
  Register Now!​
• Illinois Spring 2027 PreACT 9 Secure/PreACT Secure Test Day Webinar
  Friday, February 5, 2027 (11am CST)
  Register Now!​
• Illinois Spring 2027 Technical Readiness Webinar
  Wednesday February 10, 2027 (11am CST)
  Register Now!​
  

IMPORTANT: Accommodations for students with disabilities and supports for English Learners (ELs) are allowed for the ISBE-Provided PreACT 9 Secure, PreACT Secure, and ACT + Science + Writing only for students with accommodations needs documented in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan and for English Learners identified as such in ISBE's Student Information System.​

• Visit the ACT-hosted web page for Illinois​ “Step 1: Pre-Administration” for more details about requesting accommodations and EL supports requests for students taking the ACT + Science + Writing.
• Accommodations and EL Supports Request Window for Test Event 1: September 7, 2026 - February 10, 2027
  
• Accommodations and EL Supports Request Window for Test Event 2: September 7, 2026 - February 24, 2027
  
• Accommodations and EL Supports Request Window for Test Event 3: September 7, 2026 - March 10, 2027
  
• ACT Accessibility Supports Guide​
  This resource helps educational teams select appropriate accessibility supports and accommodations for their students for use during the test. Accessibility supports refer to systems, tools, and accommodations that remove barriers for the entire testing population, including examinees identified as having disabilities and English learners (ELs), as well as examinees who do not have a disability. All examinees need to be able to communicate fairly and effectively what they know and can do when they take a test. ACT provides accessibility supports that include the following:
• Universal supports
• Designated supports
• English learner supports
• Accommodations
• Consent to Release Information to ACT form
• Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) User Guide
  Staff will use TAA to request examinees' accommodations or English Learner (EL) supports and receive Decision Notifications.
• Preparing for the ACT® Test: Testing with Alternate Formats
  This resource includes information about preparing for the ACT test with ACT-authorized alternate format accommodations, information about the multiple-choice and writing sections, test-taking strategies, and what to expect on test day.
  
• ACT-Authorized Bilingual Word-to-Word Dictionaries
• Accessibility Supports Guide for PreACT Secure Assessments
  This resource helps educational teams select appropriate accessibility supports and accommodations for their students for use during the test. Accessibility supports refer to systems, tools, and accommodations that remove barriers for the entire testing population, including examinees identified as having disabilities and English learners (ELs), as well as examinees who do not have a disability. All examinees need to be able to communicate fairly and effectively what they know and can do when they take a test. ACT provides accessibility supports that include the following:
  • Universal supports
  • Designated supports
  • English learner supports
  • Accommodations​​
    
• PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure Accommodations and EL Supports details are posted on the ACT-hosted web page for Illinois for PreACT Secure Suite under the heading "Manage Accommodations" under Step 1: Pre-Administration​​.
  

ACT + Science + Writing Resources

• The ACT + Science + Writing Online Practice Test
  IMPORTANT: Click on “Practice Tests" once you have navigated to the TestNav sign on page. No log in credentials are needed. 
  
• Preparing for the ACT Test
  This resource contains a full-length practice ACT + Science + Writing test, test details, test-taking strategies, what to expect on test day, and a link to a Spanish version of this resource. In Illinois, the science and writing sections are required.  
  
• Preparing for the ACT Test: Testing with Alternate Formats
  This resource includes information about preparing for the ACT test with ACT-authorized alternate format accommodations, information about the multiple-choice and writing sections, test-taking strategies, and what to expect on test day. In Illinois, the science and writing sections are required.​
• Alternate Format Practice Tests
  Schools may order free alternate format practice tests by completing and mailing this form.​​
  
• Visit Step 1: Pre-Administration on the ACT-hosted web page for additional ACT + Science + Writing resources for students and testing staff.​

PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure Resources

• PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure Online Practice Test
  IMPORTANT: Click on “Practice Tests" once you have navigated to the TestNav sign on page. No log in credentials are needed.
• Visit Step 1: Pre-Administration on the ACT-hosted web page for additional PreACT Secure Student Resources.​
  

• Webinar: Spring 2026 Data, Discussion, and Decisions: Interpreting the ACT + Science + Writing, PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure Score Reports
  Friday, June 26, 2026, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
• Intended Audience: Staff responsible for reviewing student data and reports.
• Description: This webinar will provide information for someone new to ACT Online Reporting and continues deeper into the data for those looking for more information. The webinar is being recorded and you will be able to return to view any part of the webinar you wish. Resources and directions on how to create the reports viewed in the webinar will be provided in the Resource widget.
  
• Now Available On Demand: Spring 2026 Data, Discussion, and Decisions webinar​
• ACT to SAT Conversion – Official Concordance Tables
  The ACT and SAT Concordance Table is the official, jointly developed tool from ACT and College Board that converts any ACT composite score (1–36) to its SAT equivalent (400–1600) — or vice versa. It is designed for students, counselors, and admissions offices who need to compare scores across both tests for the same applicant.
• ACT Technical Manual​ (dated September 2026)
• PreACT Secure Technical Manual (dated May 2026)​​​
  ​
  

• Spring 2025 and 2026 ACT + Science + Writing, PreACT Secure, and PreACT 9 Secure​
  
• Spring 2017 to Spring 2024 SAT with Essay, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9​​​​​