@Aguadecoco wow. Why do you want to get rid of teacher recs? Colleges want kids who participate in class, who are helpful and curious and leaders. Teachers can speak to that. If you take that away then you’ve just got the student himself spinning his narrative. Teacher recs are the only chance for the colleges to get the opinion of another adult who knows the student.
It’s not that hard for a good student to get a good rec. Even kids who are quiet can cultivate relationships with teachers.
@Mwfan1921 The CB rep said that they are going to prioritize getting testing to those states who cancelled March, April and May. We know some kids in other states did get the March test in but some did not. Also, she talked about making each test center adding as many seats as possible and not adding locations which would be harder for them to pull off.
S21 registered for the June SAT today.
Today, Gov. Abbot (Texas) announced all schools will be closed through May 4th. Our district gets out May 22nd as it is, so yea, the rest of this year is a wash. I’ve heard from some teacher friends that this spring semester grades will not be counted for GPA and class rank and basically grades will just be pass/fail.
I have zero idea about teacher recs, haven’t heard a peep from our guidance counselors.
This is discouraging news. But what would kids do during a gap year? I was thinking about it for my D20, but honestly it seems to make more sense to have her taking college classes next year. If she took a gap year, we would be thinking about service abroad, etc, but those things seem impractical/impossible now.
@BarbaraCruz Our school district has not called school off for the year but we are now online at least until 4/30 and they’ve given a policy for grades. It sounds exactly like yours. The teachers posted the kids’ grades as of March 18th. They won’t get lower than that grade and will have the chance to increase the grade with the assignments going forward. That policy makes perfect sense to me.
@amsunshine I don’t know. Maybe a large percentage of parents won’t want their kids taking gap years. For the schools that D21 is looking at, though, which are mostly LACs, the whole appeal is campus life with small classes so I think there will be a larger percentage of those kids taking a gap year to do who knows what. Especially for parents who are stretching finances at those schools, they will want to wait until they are getting what they are paying for. But, sure, it poses a problem with an 18 year old at home with not much to do.
TX here. We are full steam ahead with grades so far, according to the last email from our principal. D21 took an AP Chem test yesterday online at 4pm. She did OK. I wish they’d make a decision about class rank calculations. Although who knows what UT will do with the auto-admit % for next year.
That’s going to be so hard on our 21’s if there are a bunch of gap year kids to compete with. Not really fair to the 21s but if the 20s are online fall semester… I get it. Since D21 is looking at bigger schools, we may not have that much of an issue but who knows.
I’m watching those peak curves closely with eyes on our June visit trip. We watched a (taped) information session online for American University that was quite helpful. But there’s no replacement for seeing the places in person.
@mm5678 I do wonder what the curve means for social distancing and travel. How far after we’re over the peak will things open up? Do we have to wait until the whole curve is done before traveling? I don’t think anyone knows.
Question for those who had a March 14 SAT canceled @inthegarden @homerdog and I’m sure there are others - if your student logs into their collegeboard account, what shows under My Test Registrations for March 14th? Here is why I ask - for the May 2 test which was canceled everywhere by CB, we have already gotten a refund (for us that was a subject test). But with the March 14 test, it’s different. That was canceled locally, and CB didn’t show it as canceled until the day of the test (though we knew the day before). Then, for the next two weeks while everyone who managed to get a test in around the country was waiting for scores, S21’s registration erroneously showed that his test was “complete” and that his scores would be available Mar 27…as if it had happened and he had tested.
Now that Mar 27 has come and gone, (and we know that the test is not being made up but that we’re supposed to get a refund), his March 14th registration shows still in his My Test Registrations section and says Status: Makeup (instead of Status: Complete) as it did last week. He can still print an admission ticket for this supposed Makeup. I know this isn’t right - I’m clear on the fact that there is no makeup. I’m just wondering if others who had their tests canceled last minute locally for March 14th are seeing the same thing…has anyone in that situation actually gotten a CB refund for the Mar 14 test yet? (Some locations in the country canceled a few days earlier and CB seemed to be tracking those, but for us in Georgia, nothing showed up as canceled with CB until the day of the test even though many places canceled). I’m just hoping CB is up to speed on the fact that my S21 didn’t just choose not to attend but rather had no choice and will be getting a refund - probably their system is just behind. I’m not too worried about it - just curious as to whether that’s just us or if others in the same scenario are seeing the same thing.
@nichols51 Yes. D21’s CB account still shows the March 14th test. Status says Make Up. May 2nd registration doesn’t show up at all. I have no idea if we were credited. In fact,s since I signed D up for that test, we cancelled the credit card I used so who knows how they intend to credit us!
June registration says Complete. I think that just means that the registration is complete, not the testing.
Straight from the College Board website:
March and May SAT Administrations
In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19), College Board canceled the May 2, 2020, SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled for March 28) were also canceled.
Students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds.
Future Testing Opportunities
We know students are anxious about how the coronavirus crisis will affect their college application process, including taking the SAT. We’re committed to being flexible and innovative to give all students opportunities to test as soon as the situation allows. We’ll share more details as soon as possible, but right now we can tell you the following:
Currently, the next SAT is scheduled for the first weekend of June. We’re working with test centers and we’ll decide whether we can safely hold that administration as soon as it’s feasible, given the evolving public health situation.
We’ll add U.S. and international test administrations in response to canceled administrations. We’ll be flexible in making the SAT available in school and out of school as soon as the public health situation allows. We’re looking at a range of creative solutions to address increased demand and are in direct conversations with states and districts about School Day administrations. Throughout, we’ll continue to place a special focus on students with fee waivers and those with accommodations.
If, unfortunately, schools cannot reopen this fall, we’re pursuing innovative ways to ensure all students can still take the SAT this fall. We’ll provide updates about those plans if they become necessary.
Resources and Support
To help students keep their college readiness skills sharp when many schools are closed, College Board and Khan Academy® will continue to provide free resources online, including full-length practice tests and personalized learning tools.
Together with our member schools and colleges, we will be flexible, thoughtful, and collaborative in exploring ways to continue to support student learning and provide opportunities to test during this challenging time.
The March (and May) test date disappeared from my D’s CB registration portal. Poof! Gone.
I believe CB will definitely add more dates between May and December to make up for the lost tests. I am a bit worried abt the entire AP tests online with 45 min test times.
@nichols51 exactly same scenario for us too as you had explained… got the refund for May cancellation but nothing for March and status shows makeup ? hope they clarify this sooner.
@Suave123 I don’t think there’s anything to clear up. Above they say March make up exams are cancelled. Register for June if you can and then register for August when that option is open later this month.
@homerdog I know, we did register for June but just wondering when’ll we get the refund for March cancellation.
We are very fortunate our D21 is totally done with SAT and SAT subject testing. I’ve been thinking about this a lot though because of what a difficult situation this is for so many in the class of 2021. I’m thinking that testing could probably go forward this summer, but it would have to look dramatically different. My thoughts are that maybe the test-takers, proctors, etc would have to wear masks, and sanitizing of test centers would have to be a big deal, as well as distancing measures. Has any one seen any discussion about these types of things?
eta: What do they do in Asian countries for situations like this, such as testing on a large scale?
As @Mwfan1921 posted elsewhere, the UCs are now test-optional for class of 2021 only.
Thanks, here are a few links.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/response-covid-19.html
Wow, we are in CA. What would happen for kids who have already taken SATs and are in high range, will that put them in an advantage compared to the one who hasn’t taken or has low score than them? FYI, my son will be retaking it if offered…
@Suave123 no one knows. If a student has high scores, you send them. Not sure it matters to the high scoring kids. We are all in uncharted territory now. Kids will send the best apps they can put together within any new parameters.