SAT cancellations leave students in limbo
Charlotte test-prep companies and colleges adjust to shake-up in testing schedule.
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Charlotte students study for SAT and ACT tests that were postponed; ‘They prepped for months … now what?’
Students and test prep companies in the Charlotte area are scrambling to adjust to the cancellation of standardized tests required for college. (Photo: Ben Mullins/Unsplash)
By David Griffith
Applying to college can already produce a lot of anxiety.
But the level of stress associated with that process is reaching new highs nowadays, as the coronavirus is throwing into turmoil the lives of high school students, the standardized testing industry and tutoring companies.
For many students and their families, the process of preparing for college applications can sometimes feel like a series of tightly choreographed events that includes test preparation, taking the SAT or ACT and lining up summer activities that applicants can draw on to showcase their talents.
Now, though, much of that is in limbo: Charlotte-area test prep companies are scrambling, SAT and ACT tests have been cancelled, and it’s unclear if they’ll be able to resume this summer as planned. In response, some colleges are modifying their admission requirements, which can sometimes add to the confusion for students.
“They plan these things, as you know, out from early in junior year,” said Jack Whelan, director of college guidance at Providence Day School. “When they’re going to be taking these tests, they take them each multiple times, and suddenly their schedule is really interrupted or changed.”
The changes mostly affect high school juniors, who would make up the majority of the SAT/ACT takers this spring and summer.
Tests cancelled: The College Board cancelled the SATs scheduled for March 28, May 2 and June 6, promising refunds and offering full-length practice tests for free online. The ACT rescheduled its national April 4 test to June 13, which is subsequently also facing the possibility of postponement. The next scheduled SAT isn’t until Aug. 24.
On top of being stressful for students, these delays can also derail months of work and preparation students have to put in to get ready for these tests.
“People were going to take the March test, and then some sites cancelled the day before,” said Michael Oliver, managing director of Vint Hill Education Services, which is based in Ballantyne. “They prepped for months, one session a week with a tutor for four months, and then now what?”
As you might expect, many local test-prep companies have shifted from face-to-face to online instruction. Many students are adept at using Zoom. Like companies in other industries, though, test-prep firms can’t always make a seamless and instant transition.
“We’ve been trying to shift online, and it’s just different because that’s not our bread and butter,” Oliver said. The company has traditionally focused on interpersonal communication. Now, tutors are allowed to continue to see their students, but only if tutors and the family agree. Vint Hill will encourage online learning if asked.
Easy online transition: At Benthall Test Prep in South End, owner Al Benthall says he’s been incorporating Zoom and online learning into his classes for years. “I would have students ... when they couldn’t make it to class, they would just participate by Zoom,” Benthall said, “and we would have them on their laptop talking to the other students, you know, like they were sitting there.” Benthall said students took to the online transition “like ducks to water.”
Ordinarily, students would pay for a six-week series of lessons that would end one week before the test. The cancellations and postponements threw that schedule into disarray.
Benthall is offering free refresher courses to students who were affected by the delays to help them refocus what they’ve learned before their new tests. With the summer dates still in place as of right now, students aren’t suffering a large inconvenience as much as they are a temporary delay, he said.
Online challenges: Learning online can present unique challenges for some students. Families may not have the technology, internet, or finances to support online learning, or students may have medical conditions such as ADHD, which can make virtual classes more difficult for them than others.
Another option for students who cannot effectively reschedule may be to forgo the test altogether and apply to colleges that are test-optional, which does away with an SAT or ACT requirement.
Colleges react: The University of North Carolina system changed its admissions policy on testing in late March, streamlining a modification initially slated to take place in 2021. Though the 17 schools did not go fully test-optional, they did lower the bar for the required scores for students to apply. State schools may now admit students who score higher than combined 1010 on the SAT or 19 on the ACT.
Conversely, students can apply with a 2.5 weighted GPA. Though the college can elect to admit based on GPA alone, students are still required to submit test scores if they have them unless they qualify for an exception.
“You can see how it gets a little confusing with parents,” said Benthall. “Like, ‘Oh, they’re not requiring it!’ But you still have to submit it.”
Other universities around the country are taking similar measures and lowering their score requirements or going fully test-optional. There have been nationwide movements to see colleges go test-optional for several years now, and some are using the coronavirus to make the leap. Davidson College said late last month that it’s going test-optional for the next three years.
Something students and tutors dealing with fallout from the virus can take solace is a shared awareness of what’s going on.
“All parts of our lives, whether we’re adults, kids, in between, whether we’re dealing with online school, or we’re dealing with potential job loss, of family members, or certainly the worst-case scenario of actually getting sick, I think all of this has been stressful,” said Whelan, the Providence Day guidance counselor.
He hopes this affords students greater leniency, as colleges will recognize times were hard for everyone and there were a lot of uncontrollables.
“It’s all very strange, but we are in this together,” he said.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire; Reporting intern: David Griffith