MEET ACT'S NEW INTERIM CEO: Godwin, formerly ACT's chief operating officer, will succeed former CEO Marten Roorda, who arrived at ACT in 2015. Godwin, who has 30 years of experience at the company, chatted with your host about the future of testmaking giant. — But first, some background: Last week, ACT announced Roorda's departure, along with a series of cost-cutting measures it would be implementing amid the business downturn from the pandemic. — Your host also reported earlier this month that colleges were dropping their requirements for the ACT and SAT, fueling a movement to eliminate the high-stakes tests from admissions decisions altogether. The University of California's decision to phase out the exams is the biggest example. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Q: The ACT seems to have taken a hit from the coronavirus. Aside from the cost-cutting measures, what's next for the organization? A: Education is one of those sectors that has felt the impact very keenly with schools being closed and the disruption of learning this spring. And so, at ACT, we're doing a number of things. … We're continuing to proceed with testing students. We have a test date on June 13, and there'll be another one on July 18. Of course, many, many sites are closed. … So, on the June testing coming up, we don't have as many sites open. And, of course, we've got some states and a small handful where they're saying they can't test all. Q: Tell me more about what testing this summer will look like. A: The demand for June testing is immense. ... Our challenge in this current environment is creating enough space and test centers for students to test. Students need test scores to help with scholarship-based decisions. We will be working to expand our capacity in July and then into the fall, the remote proctoring option, we believe that's going to help open up more testing opportunities as well. Q: Last week, the University of California made the decision to phase out the SAT and ACT by 2025. How will this affect ACT? A: I'm not sure the UC decision is going to affect ACT. ... The University of California obviously went a different direction, and we respect their decision, but it doesn't change at all our commitment to the fact that the admission scores we generate are incredibly important and fair, and an important component in admissions portfolios to help colleges diversify and select students for their institutions. Q: How are you easing colleges' concerns related to taking the ACT online from home? A: We've been working with partners and collaborating with higher ed officials, admissions officers, getting input along the way in terms of what they will be looking for. I can tell you, it actually surprised us. The positive response from higher ed for scores being delivered under a remote proctoring experience was in very high demand. They want it. We've done prototyping, we understand what the administration practices will be and how to support the process. So that's enabled us to move more quickly bringing this capability to market. We feel confident moving forward with this solution that stakeholders will accept the scores, that we're providing a good comparable experience and an equitable experience for students as well. Q: Any thoughts about taking on this new role? A: We're extraordinarily appreciative of Marten. ... He brought a very strong vision to ACT, and helped formulate our transformation strategy to move from just being an assessment company to also focusing on learning and navigation. I'm delighted to have this opportunity because I've been working at ACT most of my professional career and I know the company extremely well. I care deeply about our mission, care deeply about the people that work at ACT, and the customers and stakeholders that we serve. | 
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