Sal Khan interviewed David Coleman earlier this week where David C said they were working on this. You will find the interview easily via a google search.
I gotta agree with this for our kid’s Florida private high school, which is competitive for sure but not hyper competitive. The kids who are eyeing very selective colleges are generally testing earlier than spring of junior year, often taking an SAT or two near to the time of the PSAT. Most of our kid’s friends have at least one or two SAT scores already, and a few have even completed all the subject tests they intend to take.
Even at the local large public high school, there seems to be a bit of a culture of early testing, maybe because Florida is very generous with scores-based scholarships to the state publics (Benacquisto for NMF and Bright Futures for highish ACT/SAT scores).
@vhsdad , College Board strongly implies an online version will be available this fall. https://pages.collegeboard.org/sat-covid-19-updates
They will push this through, I am certain. Too much money is at stake if they don’t.
@Lindagaf I’m not seeing anything about online testing. Can you quote the part of the update you are referencing? It’s one thing to do the AP tests online, as all the kids will be doing it, and at the same time. If the go online with SATs, how do you compare those scores to the scores that kids already achieved? it was would be like comparing apples to oranges.
@vhsdad from the link I posted:
“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.
AND…
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.”
It wouldn’t be far fetched to believe that it will become necessary.
ACT already has plans to introduce an online version of their test (Section retakes) in September. SAT will roll out something, almost certainly, for Fall. I fully expect both companies to create an online version students can do at home.
If these companies fail to do this, they are going to make themselves obsolete. They are lucrative businesses. They will find a way to enable kids to take these tests. Will the tests be perfect? Probably not, and who knows if colleges will consider them to be as good as the previous tests.
Did you listen to Sal Khan’s interview last week with David Coleman, Pres of CB? Coleman says they are looking at (for the Fall) online SAT administration (which they already do internationally), including home based SAT administration.
I do wonder if CB will offer online even if they start testing in person in October. It might be hard for them to find seats for so many kids in October if June and Aug are cancelled after most March sittings and all May sittings were cancelled too.
Hunting for info in the news about the possibility of large groups getting together is inducing whiplash over here. One day, I think it likely looks good for us to go to high school in the fall. The next day, what I’m reading makes that look impossible. I’m also realizing now that some states may indeed have summer and/or fall tests and others may not since having a sitting of the SAT means having schools open and that’s going to be decided state by state. So, maybe kids in Illinois get no test but kids in Wisconsin do…so CB offers online to just those states without open schools? Again, who the heck knows.
@homerdog in the College Board link I posted, it says they are considering school day administrations. I suspect more test dates will be created. I.e., multiple weekend tests, instead of just one a month.
Again, too much money at stake for them to sit back.
@yearstogo My junior S21 attends a small, Catholic high school here in central PA. He was scheduled to take the SAT for the first time this March. As were most of his classmates. It was canceled. He is now registered for June.
My S19 attended the same small, Catholic high school. He took the SAT for the first time in the spring of his junior year as well. As did most of his classmates. This is how the school has them do it. He is currently a freshman at Penn State University Park.
I had no idea kids took the SAT in 10th grade or earlier until I got on CC.
So yeah. My junior S21 has not taken the SAT yet. And I am sure there are many, many more around here like him. So, not a link. But some personal, regional information. 
I don’t really see how these tests can be administered, in my area, in a safe and equitable way before apps open in August. Schools buildings are closed through the end of the school year here in PA. Which goes beyond the June SAT date. So, where would they hold in-person, socially-distanced tests?
And in my county alone, there are rural pockets without dial-up access where people have to access wifi through the small library with four terminals or Starbucks or whatever. And many folks don’t have high speed at home. So, not all kids can take it equitably online just as all kids are not currently learning equitably online.
Anyway, these are my own musings. We are fortunate to be in a position where we have high speed internet. S21’s school is the only one in our area that has continued with required work. And three of the schools on his list (think CTCL, Jesuit) were test optional long before all of this, including Mr. InfiniteWaves and my alma mater which is where he wants to go.
The PA state-related and actual state schools are the ones that require the test scores. But seeing as they are aware of what our state tax payers are dealing with, I’ll be interested to see how they handle it. Maybe they’ll extend out admission decisions to allow for in-person fall test dates. Having been through the insanity of the Penn State admissions cycle once, I can’t imagine that making things any easier.
@Lindagaf right. I’m sure they are planning for as much as they can but not sure high schools can promise much of anything right now. Not sure when they will be able to do that. I would think there would need to be time to plan for an SAT sitting. Say high schools in one state move summer school online. CB is out of luck for summer then in that state. Can they even plan for fall in that state? Start making agreements with high schools and getting volunteers signed up? Will they do all of that work knowing there’s a chance that this could bleed into fall? And is CB choosing dates in July and trying to find high schools to commit to that date?
I don’t know how long it takes for CB to “set up” a sitting. It’s not like they can decide one day and have new options in a couple of weeks. I just don’t think high schools are that organized, especially right now and I don’t see how any of them could make the decision to host a sitting.
I just don’t get how they could be “planning” multiple weekends at all right now and not sure when they even think they could try to start doing that.
The list of high quality, highly selective TO schools has been growing for some time. This will certainly accelerate the trend short term. I imagine some schools will embrace it permanently. Interesting to see what other measures gain importance. Will require them to be more holistic.
Wouldn’t want to be in their shoes as the increase in app counts thanks to the common app have made it difficult enough. Now strip away an objective data point like test scores (yes I get the whole argument that access to coaching in the affluent community removes much of the objectivity) and it just gets more difficult.
I don’t think enough emphasis is put into the concept of “Just because you could, doesn’t mean you should.” Just because someone could be coached up to have better test scores, essays, etc. doesn’t mean they should attend a top school. My guess is those that have to work so hard to get in might regret their choice once they’re there.
Do colleges ever host ACT/SAT testing on site? Around our area, I think I have only seen high schools as testing sites and our local district is not one of those sites. What does it take for a site to be approved?
I know lots of community colleges are sites, not sure about 4 year colleges, or what’s involved in getting approved.
My thought is if College Board can offer AP tests at home, they will be able to offer SAT tests at home. ACT is already geared up to offer online section tests, and we know that both companies offer online versions of their tests abroad. I have no doubt both companies will enable either at home testing, online testing, or small group testing at school. Safeguarding against cheating is a different issue.
Do you believe SAT/ACT can be offered within convincing safeguards against cheating? It would certainly diminish any remaining illusion of its diagnostic/prognostic value, don’t you think?
I can’t agree more!
I am certainly hoping for an online version of the SAT. We live in a hot spot in PA reason why SAT was cancelled on 3/12…two days before. She studied so hard with a private tutor weekly for months. Now we are rescheduled for June. I do not hold out much hope and frankly I am not really comfortable seeing how we have over 2,000 cases just in our county right now. She did poorly on her PSAT and needs multiple chances…needs a superscore and has no score right now. All kids need to have the opportunity to test or all schools need to be test optional or it simply is not fair.
I know Temple University in Philly hosts ACT testing during the summer months as my D21 was planning on taking it during that time.
@ArtsyKidDad , you could argue the same for the AP tests. Yet colleges have said they will accept these AP scores.
Is it possible that colleges might not hold this year’s scores in as high regard as 2019 or 2021 scores? I suppose so. Will we know about it? Probably not.
@lindaf You mention the ACT section tests being online, but that’s only at ACT testing centers. There’s nothing about it being done in home. I jus can’t see the SAT or ACT being done online at home for fear of cheating. The AP test I sort of get in that everyone will be doing it that way, so at least everyone would beg on an even playing field.
The idea is that home based tests would have live proctors watching the students take the test via the computer camera. Among other things student would have to show a scan of the room and can’t leave the view of the computer camera.