That’s besides the point. The ACT is a test for college readiness*; the SAT is supposed to ‘reflect’ first year college grades. If the state chooses to use it for an alternative purpose, that’s on them. (Personally, I support the idea of using a nationally-normed test in high school, but lets be clear on what the test is really for, and set ‘passing’ marks accordingly.)
See above. Beyond that, I would say that neither test is really an assessment of high school education, which is so much more. (Hint: history, foreign language, VAPA, and science are missing. And no, the so-called Science section of the ACT does not test science; its more a speed reading test of graphs and charts.)
I have no way of knowing. Do you have evidence that it was not?
*“The ACT® is the leading US college admissions test, measuring what you learn in high school to determine your academic readiness for college.”
http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html