I think the problem is that the June date is a national testing date and some sites may be able to test. I don’t think it’s appropriate for ACT to be the one interpreting all the different “stay at home” or “return to work” orders out there. So, “it’s on unless your site is unavailable” is about the best they can do.
When the March, May, and June SATs were cancelled, we registered S21 for the June ACT which still had some seats at one nearby high school. Here in Pennsylvania, the governor is now moving some counties from red to yellow status. Yellow status allows for groups of less than 25 to gather. So I guess if a high school spreads the test takers out enough in different classrooms?
We are in a small county but still on red. Which is officially stay at home until at least the beginning of June. So who knows. S21 has yet to test at all yet.
I’m sorry that I don’t know where I read this but I thought I read that ACT would update June ACT taker on May 22nd to confirm that their location is a go or not. Then, if not, they could try to switch to another location. Ugh! Now I’m trying to google it and can’t find it. I think I read it somewhere here on CC.
Thanks @homerdog. I hadn’t heard that, but will definitely keep my eyes open for that info. There are a lot of high schools around us that offer testing, but I imagine they will all be on the same page re hosting the test.
I finally heard back from our district and they said they will NOT host the June or July test because school buildings are closed until Aug. They said they would notify ACT next week. I guess it’s possible that a nearby district would still host, but then there would be a scramble for seats.
We’re still waiting to find out if my S is working at his summer camp in the mountains which makes either summer test date difficult. He’s supposed to find out May 16th the camp’s status.
He’s going to start his common app essay this month to get a head start on that. If camp is a ‘go’, then he will hit ACT prep hard again starting mid Aug. when he gets back and take the Sept. test, hoping for the best. (He did a lot of prep from mid-Dec to mid-Feb and took the test once so he’s very familiar with it. He didn’t hit his target score, unfort.)
If camp is cancelled, he’ll try to get a seat at either the June or July test somewhere, but who knows how likely that is.
What a mess!
@AlmostThere2018 it is a mess. I agree. I hope your S can find a seat somewhere. Who knows when a school will host a test.
We are so on the border of just bagging testing period.
How is everyone holding up with the upcoming AP tests? D21 has four this coming week and one the week after. Kid is stressed. The exams are on my usual WFH days so I will be heading into the office every day this coming week to avoid stressing the home WiFi. 11 days until her last exam… I’m not sure what the school will do for instruction once the exams are over. She only has 2 non-AP classes and one is orchestra.
In other news, I added a tab to her college spreadsheet with the schools she will probably apply to and listed all the deadlines, requirements for honors college and merit scholarships. So. Many. Essays.
We can’t seem to get our S21 to pay attention to his four upcoming AP tests (Chem, Lang, Art History, and USH). Honestly, the online learning at his private school has been pretty casual these past five weeks, and S21 has gone into vacation mode already. I wish he would get a little stressed about them!
D21 has only two AP exams this year. She had four last year, so compared to last year she feels relatively relaxed. She is quite happy the length is only 45 minutes instead of the usual godawful three-ish hours. Still though, her first exam is AP Calc BC on Tuesday, and she doesn’t think she did well on the class final (though she did well on all the other class exams), so she is studying hard every day and crossing her fingers for at least a 4. She was sick the day of her AP Calc AB Exam last year and did not do well, so she really wants to make up for that this year with the BC exam. Her college courses are now over, so all she needs to do to finish the academic year are these two AP tests.
D has 2 AP exams, the first is Monday at 4pm. She doesn’t seem too stressed. S17 has 2 research papers and an essay final due by Monday - he’s fine; i’m stressed to death!!! Lol
Freezing here today, but taking a ride down to Villanova to look around. D21 loves car rides, so might as well get out for the afternoon. She has been spending her downtime researching schools, which is great, but now her list is up to 20! How to cut it down when you can’t visit??? Virtual only goes so far…
On that note…anyone here familiar with College of Charleston? D discovered it this week. I think probably too urban (even Charleston is a smaller city), but she is liking it so far.
S21 has two AP tests this year: Lang & Env Sci…when you have a kid with testing anxiety, I dare say this new format may turn out to be a blessing in disguise…we’ll see.
As for the ACT, his April one was rescheduled for July 18…we’ve got a little bit of time to see how it plays out and if our district will still be allowing the high school to be used as a testing site…we haven’t heard anything yet.
Have you all see these guidelines from the CDC for reopening schools? Well, grab a cup of coffee and sit down to read this little ditty. I don’t see how any schools (college or k-12) can open with these rules.
S has 3 AP exams, but he doesn’t seem stressed. He already took the final for his dual credit class and got an A, that’s the one class he was worried about.
D has three AP exams and I would say that she’s moderately stressed because so much rides on so few questions. You could get lucky or unlucky. Also hoping there are no uploading issues. Her teachers have been doing a fair amount of prep over the last couple of weeks.
My S has 4 – three next week and one the following week. He is not doing a lot of prep b/c he said given the nature of the format, there’s ‘no point.’ My S also tends toward a ‘bare minimum’ approach so I’m not sure how wise this is.
He really doesn’t want my involvement in school/college stuff much at all these days. I, of course, think this is a mistake (lol) but I’m backing off and am hoping his general motivation to go to a good college, etc. will suffice for him to do what he needs to do. The more I suggest something the more he seems to resist so there’s not much of point. I’ve heard tell this is not uncommon with teenagers? 
My D18 was much more open to my suggestions and, when necessary, prodding…
An aside on the social aspect of things - my teens are seeing their best friends more - albeit virtually - now than they did before COVID19 struck. Since everyone’s travel and extracurricular activities had to come to a halt, there is more opportunity to schedule times to see each other and talk. They used to get together once or twice a week for a few hours at a time and hang out, now they meet every day virtually for a couple hours.
My two are friends with a group of kids who have all known one another since elementary-school age. They all used to be homeschoolers, now some still homeschool while others attend public and private schools in the Boston area. They have all kept their friendships year after year, and now they are all still meeting via Zoom or Skype. D21 mentioned this morning that two of their friends, extreme introverts, seem to share and talk a lot more over Zoom than they ever do in person. She feels their group is bonding even more these days. It’s nice they all have one another. I hear my two laughing up in their rooms with their friends each night, and that makes me happy.
CoC is very popular with kids in our area of North Jersey. Everyone seems to love it. And personally, I enjoy Charleston.
S21 has 5 AP test, 4 this week (Calc AB, Chem, Lit, Gov), one at the end of next week (Stats). A bit stressed. Doing a lot of prep this weekend, not so much studying as organizing all his materials and flagging his books to be ready. Oddly, most worried about Lit - not something you can exactly study for, and he recognizes that a lot will hinge on the particular passage they are given to analyze.
Last night he and the rest of the student council leaders hosted a virtual prom on Zoom. Many of the girls dressed up, and S actually put on a button-down shirt and jacket. (He might have even combed his hair.) Loud music, lots of laughter.
Good luck to everyone on APs!
Just one AP exam for S21…APUSH. He’s studying hard for it, but with it being one make or break question, it’s so hard to know how it will go. Once that’s done, he just has one class he’ll be finishing up, so after this week (APUSH is Friday), he’ll not have all that much to do. All of his potential summer activities are off with the exception of one possibility, so he’ll be checking into that one after he gets past APUSH. I want him to have an academic break before he starts his common app and more SAT prep…but I imagine he’ll get started on both by late June.
Edmit released post-Covid financial health ratings today - I haven’t dug into what their methodology was, but at least it’s another source to match up to the Forbes list from last Fall.
https://www.edmit.me/blog/coronavirus-impact-on-college-financial-health