Due to new Kentucky law, it’s uncertain whether ACT or SAT will be given next spring

When the new school year begins in the fall, students won’t know which college entrance exam they’ll take in the spring, according to the Kentucky School Boards Association.

After years of taking the ACT, Kentucky students took the SAT this academic year because the College Board, which owns the SAT, won the state contract to administer the exam. ACT unsuccessfully protested the contract, KSBA said.

The uncertainty, KSBA says, stems from a new state law passed on the last day of the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 197, sponsored by Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, says the state must rebid the contract for the statutorily required college entrance exam given to all high school juniors in the spring.

Jennifer Stafford, Kentucky Department of Education associate commissioner, acknowledged during a May 5 Local Superintendents Advisory Council that this can cause planning headaches.

“I do want to assure superintendents that we understand the uncertainty that this brings for our schools and districts, that districts want clarity as they plan for the upcoming school year,” Stafford said.

When lawmakers passed SB 197 on April 15, Petrie said lawmakers wanted the state to go back to using the ACT so it could compare scores over time and that the SAT could be considered at a later date, the KSBA report said.

In addition to requiring a new bidding process and using the winner for the 2026-27 school year, SB 197 also says state money could not be used to pay the state’s current SAT contract.

The 4-year contract was expected to save the state up to $350,000 a year, the Herald-Leader previously reported.

Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 197’s ban on using state funds to pay for the contract, but did not veto the requirement to rebid the contract, KSBA said.

State officials expect to have the contract completed by October, according to KSBA.