The College Board is delaying at-home SATs this year due to challenges in providing universal access to the test amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The statement is an about-face from an April announcement from College Board CEO David Coleman stating the company will offer the SAT in a digital version to students if schools do not re-open in the fall.
College Board said they came to the decision because not all test takers have access to three hours of uninterrupted, video-quality internet at home. The company will, however, continue to work on making at-home testing possible in the future.
Students will be able to register for test dates at in-person test centers every month, beginning in August after canceling all in-person testing in March. The company will also add a test date in January 2021, if there is a demand for it.
The decision comes after College Board faced complaints from students who took online Advanced Placement exams from home in May. Many students said they were unable to submit their answer sheets, which led to their tests being disqualified.
College Board said less than 1% of test-takers were affected due to issues including outdated browsers, computer viruses, corrupted files, or unreadable file formats.
The company anticipates the pandemic will continue to cause fewer available seats and potential testing center closures. College Board said they are working with local testing sites to increase the seating capacity in areas where August and September test dates are already filling up.
A high school student takes a test online at her home to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. … [+]
College Board also asked colleges to extend deadlines for receiving test scores and equally consider students who are unable to take the SAT as a result of the coronavirus.
“We know demand is very high and the registration process for students and families under this kind of pressure is extremely stressful,” Coleman said in a statement. “We therefore are asking our member colleges to be flexible toward students who can’t submit scores, who submit them later, or who did not have a chance to test more than once.”
ACT announced in April that it will offer remote proctoring in late fall or early winter of 2020, allowing students to take the test at home on a computer.
“During this time of crisis due to COVID-19, we understand that students need more flexibility in taking the ACT test, and these steps are intended to help students stay on track with college planning and career exploration,” said former ACT CEO Marten Roorda. “We aim to ensure that all those who want to take the test are provided with a safe environment and test options to do so.
In recent years, both College Board and ACT have been fighting calls to end the use of standardized tests in college admissions because of racial and economic bias.
Since the coronavirus pandemic reached the U.S., more than 1,000 schools have made the tests optional for admission. The University of California school system also announced it will phase out standardized testing requirements at all of its 10 schools with 300,000 students.
