Game Plan for Fall 2020 Testing
With all the uncertainty swirling around school openings this fall, the last thing most families want to consider is SAT and ACT testing. However, the recent rash of colleges declaring test optional policies for the HS class of 2021 shouldn’t be viewed as respite from admissions testing. Most attributes of college applications–near-perfect grades, outstanding extracurriculars, poignant essays, and glowing recommendations–are also “optional” but 100% necessary for those seeking entry to competitive schools and maybe some merit aid to boot. Make no mistake: high school juniors and seniors should STRONGLY consider testing this fall. Of course, the rash of test cancellations over the last several months may discourage even the most proactive planners. The good news amidst so much bad is that College Board and ACT have added an unprecedented number of test dates to the beginning of the 2020-21 calendar: SAT – August 29 ACT – September 12 ACT –…
Do Colleges Still Want the SAT, and Should We Take It In Fall?
If you thought the academic year that just ended was crazy, you might not want to look ahead. Anything having to do with college admissions and testing exists in a state of perpetual, exasperating flux. But in the absence of clarity, we can always rely on common sense, right? With so many questions about test optional application policies and uncertain test dates swirling about, my friend Allison Dillard–math professor and author of Crush Math Now and Raise Your Math Grade–has been hosting a series of Facebook Live sessions to provide answers. I first met Allison as a guest on my podcast to discuss high impact strategies to help students succeed in math, and this time she was the host as we tackled a topic on the minds of students and parents everywhere: Do Colleges Still Want the SAT, and Should We Take It In Fall? And, yes, I really do…
What is the Status of the June and July 2020 ACT?
The global onslaught of COVID-19 has triggered an infinitude of major and minor crises. A near-universal–at least for the moment–commitment to social distancing has done much to both flatten the curve and completely upend the world of education. Standardized testing feels like a small concern in the face of existential medical, economic, and social challenges. However, planning actively for the future when the present feels so static is just common sense. This is to say that many students across the United States would absolutely love (relative term, obviously) to sit for an official ACT as soon as possible. The unfortunate but completely reasonable cancellation of both the April ACT and May SAT has left many high school juniors and even some seniors feeling behind in their admissions timeline. The pain of missed test dates hits those who worked diligently to prepare particularly hard. We know the SAT will not be…
Status of the June 2020 SAT and ACT
I’ve never been a big fan of the June SAT and ACT—most teens are simply too mentally tired at the end of a long stretch of academic exertion to do their best–but their reliable arrival has always signaled the end of the school year. Well, COVID-19 has temporarily upended most traditions, and testing hardly seems feasible while school buildings lie empty as their students and faculty shelter in place. The March SAT (at least in some places), April ACT, and May SAT were all victims of the coronavirus crisis. Now we look to the June tests… JUNE SAT AND SUBJECT TESTS College Board wasted no time in shutting down their June tests: “To keep students safe, and in alignment with public health guidance and school closures across 192 countries, we will not be able to administer the SAT or SAT Subject Tests on June 6, 2020.” Students targeting the June…
Making School Closings Count
Coming into March 2020, most high schoolers had the rest of the school year mapped out: Spring Break, state tests, prom, finals and maybe more tests like APs, SATs, ACTs, and Subject Tests before the long-awaited summer vacation. No matter what you planned, the global pandemic of COVID-19 delivered a stark reminder of Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke’s oft-quoted insight: No plan survives contact with the enemy. This reminder resonates at a time when our greatest enemy may be uncertainty. As I write this, we have no idea when closed schools will resume or if any spring sports or activities may be salvaged or written off as losses. We know that the April ACT and May SAT have been cancelled, but will the June SAT and ACT run? Will those online AP exams carry the same weight as the traditional ones? We honestly have no idea what next week holds,…
May 2020 SAT Officially Cancelled
The COVID-19 dominoes keep falling. As most public and private institutions close or revert to remote working protocols for the foreseeable future, events that require large groups of people to assemble are being cancelled months in advance. Just moments after the April 2020 ACT was officially cancelled, the May 2020 SAT followed suit: In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19), the College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020, SAT administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled March 28) are also canceled. Registered students will receive refunds. The College Board will provide future additional SAT testing opportunities for students as soon as feasible in place of canceled administrations. We’ll be as flexible as possible to give students the best chance to show their skills and stay on the path to college. We have not yet canceled the June 6, 2020, SAT administration and will…