How coronavirus is impacting SAT and other standardized testing
Students, teachers, colleges and universities have been caught in the crosshairs of the novel coronavirus outbreak which has now halted SAT and PSAT exams.
The College Board, the nonprofit organization behind the SAT exams, announced that its upcoming test in June is canceled due to COVID-19.
"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," the College Board said in a statement.
During the global pandemic, the College Board recognized that students are anxious about how that will impact the college application process and offered a potential virtual solution for the future.
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"In the unlikely event that schools do not reopen this fall, College Board will provide a digital SAT for home use, like how we’re delivering digital exams to 3 million AP students this spring," it stated. "We would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple, secure and fair, accessible to all, and valid for use in college admissions."
A digital, remote version of the SAT test would still measure what students have learned in school and what they need to know to be successful in college.
Similarly, the ACT recently rescheduled it's test that was slated earlier this month and postponed the exam until June 13.
"The safety of students and test center staff is ACT’s top priority," the nonprofit organization said in a statement about COVID-19 updates. "All students registered for the April 4 test received an email from ACT informing them of the postponement and instructions for free rescheduling to June 13 or a future national test date."
In the meantime as the dynamic coronavirus situation continues, both the ACT and SAT sites are offering online tools to help students prepare for the exams with virtual prep and coursework.
The pandemic has already forced some students off campus and into remote learning.
National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) president Jayne Fonash told ABC News that "students and families need to have a plan A, B and C" when it comes to preparing for college during this unprecedented time.
"You say you want a college experience, you have an expectation of what that’s going to be like," she added, but "that may be forever changed."
The NACAC is regularly updating its resources and answering questions on social media and its site about the college admissions process amid the pandemic.
Currently, 52% of over 600 colleges have extended the traditional May 1 deadline for students to accept admissions offers for the Fall 2020 school year, according to the NCAC.
What to know about coronavirus:
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map
