ERIC Number: EJ1345381
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-9664
EISSN: EISSN-1539-9672
A Test for the Test Makers: College Board and Act Move to Grow and Diversify as the Pandemic Fuels Test-Optional Admissions Trend
Marcus, Jon
Education Next, v21 n3 p42-50 Sum 2021
Test-optional and test-blind admissions policies accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic would appear to imperil College Board's SAT college-entrance exam, the rival ACT, and their respective parent organizations. This state of affairs follows years of complaints that the exams favor the affluent. And, in fact, both of the notoriously secretive testing companies face significant problems, including some not widely understood. Reports of their demise, however, may be premature. Just because many colleges have stopped requiring the tests doesn't mean students have stopped taking them. Even if the number of test takers does drop permanently, this article examines how both the College Board and ACT have been quietly preparing for that possibility by finding new markets, introducing more products, and doubling down on the most successful of their existing services.
Descriptors: College Entrance Examinations, COVID-19, Pandemics, College Admission, Admission Criteria, Standardized Tests, Testing, Advanced Placement Programs, Income, Foreign Countries, Elementary Secondary Education, College Bound Students
Education Next Institute, Inc. Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 310, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; Fax: 617-496–4428; e-mail: Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu; Web site: https://www.educationnext.org/the-journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; United Kingdom; India
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test); ACT Assessment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A