There is definitely an issue with the ACT writing scoring of the Sept and Oct 2105 tests. This is a revamped section, and while the norms for all the other sections and the old writing section are based on samples sizes in the millions, they haven’t disclosed what the new norms are based on – they just call it “a special study,” which sounds dubious. My DD also got a 35 composite and a 23 on writing. This sounds really low, but actually correlates to the 83rd percentile. But a 23 on the other sections correlate to percentiles in the 60s. So when colleges see a 23, will they also see the 83rd percentile, or will they assume it’s much worse than it is? The ACT are playing with kids’ futures. I am not sure they are up to the job.
http://www.toptieradmissions.com/blog/
http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/NormsChartSTEMELAWriting-Web2015-16.pdf
http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/NormsChartMCandComposite-Web2015-16.pdf
http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/NormsChartPre2015Writing-Web2015-16.pdf