Phoenix, Arizona, June 1, 2026 -- Shmoop has renewed its statewide agreement with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) to provide online ACT test prep to Utah public high school students for another five years. The renewed program expands student access beyond ACT practice to include Advanced Placement (AP) exam prep and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) military exam prep.
For schools and districts, the point is simple: college and career readiness now sit in the same backpack. A student aiming for a higher ACT score, college credit through AP, or an ASVAB score tied to military eligibility and career options can start in one familiar Shmoop account. Teachers and administrators can use diagnostics, practice tests, skill reports, class tools, and usage reports to see where students need help before test day.
Utah has become a useful case study for any state or district weighing school-day test access. In 2025, 45,677 Utah students took the ACT, representing 91 percent of graduates. Utah's average composite score was 20.0, above the national average of 19.4 and first among states testing 90 percent or more of graduates. USBE also reported that Utah led that same high-participation group in benchmark attainment across English, reading, math, and science.
The timing reaches beyond Utah. On May 27, 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that more than 600 University of California faculty members were asking the UC system to restore SAT or ACT requirements for STEM applicants, citing math readiness concerns after years of test-free admissions. College admissions rules may keep changing, but schools still need a practical way to help students find gaps early, practice without a private tutor, and connect test results to a next step.
USBE selected Shmoop through a competitive RFP process. According to the award justification statement for solicitation USBE-CC26242-RFP, six proposals were submitted, five advanced to technical evaluation, and three moved to presentations. Shmoop was the only offeror to meet the presentation threshold and proceed to cost evaluation. The committee determined Shmoop provided the best value to USBE.
"Utah has shown that statewide test prep can be more than a login page students forget about," said Andrew Caldwell, CEO of Shmoop. "This renewal lets us build on what has helped drive Utah to the number one performing ACT state, and give students more paths: AP for college credit, ASVAB for career planning, and fun, memorable test prep that helps them succeed."
Shmoop's Utah program includes online study materials, diagnostic assessments, full-length practice tests, answer explanations, student and class skill reports, teacher access, administrator dashboards, professional learning, and help-desk support. The added AP and ASVAB prep options give schools a broader readiness toolkit without asking students to bounce between separate systems.
Educators outside Utah may not follow another state's contract news. The pattern is the part worth watching: wide access, early diagnostics, practice students can use on their own, and reporting that gives teachers something concrete to act on. Districts can adapt that pattern whether their priority is ACT/SAT/state exam growth, AP participation, or workforce readiness.
Schools and districts interested in Shmoop Test Readiness can contact [email protected] or visit shmoop.com/prep.
Shmoop provides schools with Test Readiness, Online Courses, Study Tools, Study Guides, Life Prep, and SEL resources built for college, career, and military readiness. Shmoop combines diagnostic measurement with practice exams and drills, clear explanations, and teacher-friendly reporting with a student voice that does not sound like it escaped from a policy memo.
