The SAT is discontinuing portions of its college-entrance exams as a result of a growing effort among universities to place less emphasis on such standardized tests.
The move comes as the pandemic has sped up many changes in college admissions and as schools focus more on students’ entire academic and personal portfolios.
The College Board announced on Tuesday that it was discontinuing the 20 different SAT subject tests that focus on topics ranging from English to history to math to science as well as its optional essay section. But few schools required such subject tests.
Universities across Texas and the country waived SAT and ACT requirements becoming “test optional” through 2021 as the coronavirus interfered with test days and testing sites.
Now more schools are looking at how — and if — they should continue using any part of the college-entrance exams.
“With COVID, everything shifted,” said Nikki Young, the director of admissions at Texas Woman’s University. “We have to look at education differently, from a different lens. The expectations that we previously set are not working today.”
The primary SAT test, which focuses on math and critical reading and writing, is not affected by the College Board’s announcement. The 20 subject tests, which students were able to take to show their interest in a major or program or get credit for introductory-level courses, and the optional essay were add-ons that could help students’ applications stand out.
Some colleges plan on shelving SAT requirements indefinitely.
In May, for example, the University of California Board of Regents unanimously approved the suspension of the standardized test requirements for state applicants until fall 2024. The system plans on creating its own assessment by fall 2025, but if it doesn’t meet certain criteria, it will eliminate the standardized testing requirement for California students altogether.
Even before the health crisis set in, the University of North Texas at Dallas started backing away from the SAT subject tests and essay portions. Now the school plans to remain “test optional” after the pandemic subsides, which means an applying student can decide whether or not to submit college-entrance exam scores.
Stephanie Holley, vice president for student access and success at the UNT-Dallas, said easing reliance on such tests lifts a barrier for students who could not afford them or can’t miss work to take them. The school actively recruits non-traditional students, many of whom are already working full-time jobs.
“We wanted a way to support the population that we serve in really creating some other pathways to get through the admission process,” Holley said. “That’s what really started our discussion, the pandemic just helped us to fast forward everything and move more quickly.”
At UNT-Dallas, for example, students who rank in the top 30% of their graduating class or who have attained a GPA at or above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale can gain automatic admission. If students don’t meet these standards, the university conducts an individual review to assess their “potential to be successful” by looking at their achievements, extracurricular activities and more.
Some don’t think standardized tests are a good indicator of college readiness and worry the College Board will replace the SAT and ACT with other assessments. But doing away with the subject tests is another step forward toward evaluating college applicants differently, educators say.
“It makes it less tempting for institutions to subscribe to or require a product that, from my perspective ... has always been a problematic test,” said Gray Scott, who is the assistant director of academic assessment at TWU.
Some college officials say standardized tests have had some benefits in the past, particularly for awarding merit scholarship or gauging college readiness.
But first generation students or those coming from marginalized communities — particularly from low-income families — often lack the resources to prepare to do well in them, said Heath Einstein, dean of admission at Texas Christian University.
“While there’s some predictive value, what we have found is that colleges and universities tend to overweight the importance of those test scores when in reality they serve as proxies for family wealth,” Einstein said.
Many students also help support their families by working 10 to 20 hours a week, while those who don’t have the same burden are able to spend that time studying, sometimes hiring private tutors or taking prep classes.
“If students have time on their hands and they have resources ... then they’re going to do better,” said Einstein, who previously worked as a college counselor for high school students.
The pandemic allowed universities to adapt to better serve students, said TWU’s Young. That school also transitioned to “test optional” because of COVID-19. Officials will monitor how the College Board revamps the SAT after the pandemic to determine its future use.
“It took the veil away from our eyes and we have to take a real approach to looking at the world as it is today,” Young said.
Claire Vanhoutte, 17, is in her final stretch as a senior at Dallas International School. Although most of the schools she applied to do not require her to take the SAT, she took the test anyway to stand out among her peers.
She first sat for the SAT in March just as the pandemic was settling in across the country. She decided to take the test again in September in the hopes of a higher score, but she was worried and felt overwhelmed walking into the testing site. Her family has maintained social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic because her mother has asthma.
Vanhoutte now isn’t sure that her scores will accurately demonstrate her academic prowess as much as it will reflect her anxiety. So she’s relieved schools are backing away from the SATs.
“I was really freaked out, but I think as usually happens with these tests once you start answering the questions, it becomes somewhat less worrying,” Vanhoutte said. “But there was still that fear of contracting the virus, of getting someone within six feet of me that I think stayed with me to an extent throughout.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, The Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
