College Board Removes SAT Subject Tests

The College Board this week announced major changes to the SAT. The changes streamline the college admissions process amid the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities are removing optional portions of the exam – including an essay and specialized tests – that some schools had required.

“The pandemic accelerated a process already underway at the College Board to simplify our work and reduce demands on students,” said the organization on Tuesday. Universities including MIT and Princeton had already discontinued these tests.

The College Board had offered 20 optional subject tests. These tests give students an opportunity to demonstrate aptitude in areas not included in the general exam – such as foreign language, physics, and world history.

How does the removal of SAT subject tests affect students?

Increased access to Advanced Placement courses, especially for low-income students and students of color, means that the SAT’s subject tests are “no longer necessary for students to show what they know,” said the Board. AP classes “provide the type of hands-on learning experience and practical, real-world work that colleges want to see from students.”

“Anything that moves us closer to simplifying the process for students and removing barriers is a move in the right direction,” adds Robyn Lady, director of student services at Chantilly High School in Virginia. “This is all about equity and access.”

The removal of the subject tests will not affect the general exam. It became optional for admissions by roughly half of four-year colleges this year due to the pandemic. The College Board is currently working to ensure that future SATs can be delivered digitally in case the pandemic persists into the spring season.

Author’s Note: What is really happening here is that schools are not preparing students for the SAT. So officials are making the SAT easier. Students are not prepared for the SAT. This is due to failures in the teaching system, including union activity that forces schools to hire inferior teachers.

So the end game here is that universities will have to admit less qualified students. The admissions process will also become more subjective. Without an impartial test like the SAT, college education will move towards indoctrination (from the Left) and away from actual knowledge.

Sources:

College Board Dropping SAT Optional Subject Tests and Essay

The College Board drops SAT’s optional essay and subject tests to ‘reduce demands on students’

College Board Eliminates SAT Subject Tests