Story by Bailey Coyle
The coronavirus has introduced many challenges to high school seniors
graduating in spring 2021 when it comes to applying to college. The biggest
challenge may be the inability to take standardized testing.
Testing centers for SAT and ACT closed in March and left the class of 2021
unable to take the standardized tests before college applications opened. Many U.S. colleges and universities have eliminated the SAT and ACT scores from the application criteria for the fall 2021 semester, but that still leaves seniors with mixed emotions.
Ellory Liles, an incoming senior at Hebron High School in Carrollton,
Texas, said she has been trying to take the ACT for a few months, but the
test keeps getting pushed back or canceled.
“Any schools that I wanted to apply to that didn’t waive the test, I can’t
apply to because I don’t have scores,” Liles said.
Luke Swanson, a rising senior at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco, Texas,
is one of the lucky students who was able to take the SAT before the tests were canceled. He thinks that removing the SAT and ACT from college applications is helpful to students.
“Not having the SAT or ACT required is very beneficial to those who didn’t
get a chance to take the test because of the lockdown,” Swanson said.
Incoming senior at Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas, Addison Kerbow, also thinks that not having the SAT or ACT is beneficial but for different reasons. She believes that standardized testing is not a great way of assessing knowledge, especially for those who are not great test takers. Kerbow said universities waiving the SAT and ACT is beneficial for those who are not good test takers.
Yet another concern with waiving test scores is the competition between
students. Swanson thinks that the option to submit test scores will make
getting into college easier. However, Liles has concerns that not having a test score will make it harder for her to get into college.
“It is a little bit worrisome, because students who have those scores
automatically get an upper hand which makes it more competitive in a way we’ve never had to deal with before,” Liles said.
Michelle Ott, a counselor at Centennial High School in Frisco, Texas, thinks
that the students’ SAT and ACT scores are not good ways of comparing students for admission into college, and that not having them as a requirement gives higher education institutes a chance to look at students more holistically.
“It’s one exam that defines a student during that one time on that one day
and not who they are as a person or anything they were a part of at
school,” Ott said.
Additionally Ott thinks not having the SAT and ACT scores will make schools
look at students more as a person and not as a test score so competition will
decrease.
The College Board and ACT are working to give students the opportunity to
take their tests. As of now the College Board has scheduled SAT tests
once a month starting in late August. They will also be adding an SAT School
Day test on September 23 to help those who have not taken the test.
According to the College Board website each testing center may have limited capacity in order to maintain social distancing between students. The ACT board has added more testing dates to give students more opportunities to take the ACT. There are seven ACT tests scheduled from Sept. 12 to Oct. 25.
