“There are more important things than the SAT and ACT, and we should always be taking care of ourselves,” said junior Ei Ei Ko. “These tests shouldn’t be something that we should be stressed about during this time.”
For many high school students, junior year is typically the year of standardized testing and preparing for college applications in senior year. First comes the PSAT, allowing students to apply for the National Merit Scholarship. Then, for many East students, a long and arduous journey to get top scores on test after test, the ACT or SAT, commences.
Although there are possible hazards with testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, many East students still say they feel like taking the ACT or SAT is “vital” and “necessary.” For many, the testing begins Feb. 23 when East will open its doors for juniors to take the ACT.
Some students, like one anonymous junior, took the Math 3 EOC in January, trusting the school to handle safety measures sufficiently.
“For the most part I felt safe,” she said. “I think there will be the same safety protocols if not more, so I think it should be okay.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, CHCCS has canceled tests such as the usual PSAT and ACT administration due to the pandemic.
The optional PSAT, to be given in late January, was cancelled for concerns over the health and safety of students and staff. Sixty three percent of juniors surveyed said they felt as though the cancellation doesn’t impact their college application process, as many just viewed it as a practice for the real SAT. Plus, students who are seeking the National Merit scholarship are able to apply for it through taking an extra SAT.
“I know that the PSAT will be an equity issue this year,” an anonymous junior remarked. “Private schools taking the PSAT will have the majority of National Merit scholars and not lower-income people who need the scholarship the most.”
Other schools outside of the CHCCS district have continued to allow testing despite the amount of COVID cases. For example, while Chapel Hill High School is not offering the SAT on March 13, Cedar Ridge High School of the Orange County school district is.
“At Pinecrest High School in August, everyone wore masks; however, there was little social distancing. There were maybe 20 people in the classroom taking the test,” said junior Rama Varanasi, who has taken an in-person test twice since the pandemic began. “On the other hand, at Eastern Alamance High School in December, there were only four people in the classroom.”
There are other students who question how sufficient East’s safety protocol will be and worry about being cooped up inside for so long, potentially risking their own health, or the health of a family member, especially those who are immunocompromised.
Despite safety concerns, in a survey given to 62 juniors, only one of them does not have a plan yet to test. Forty eight percent of juniors have already taken the ACT, SAT or both, even though many colleges are waiving testing requirements. Because of this test-optional reality, 52 percent of the students surveyed feel as though the SAT and ACT matter less than they used to.
“There’s literally a pandemic and we all have to be in a room together for four hours to take a test,” junior Jessica Evers said. “Standardized tests don’t prove how smart a student is. It’s obvious and has been proven that these tests aren’t beneficial to students. The amount of pressure and anxiety that is put on us is absurd.”
Thirty four percent of the juniors surveyed believe that standardized tests matter just the same as before, while some juniors, like Henry Fraipont, believe that they matter more than they ever have, as there are fewer ways to differentiate oneself from the pool of applicants during a pandemic.
“There are fewer opportunities for extracurricular activities,” said Fraipont. “I was supposed to go on an exchange trip to Japan last summer, but it got canceled. Since then, getting service hours has also been pretty tough.”
Additionally, sophomore and junior year being online for these students has created a reality where their transcript represents a much smaller portion of who they are than it had previously, making these test scores a larger part of their identity when applying. Also, many students won’t take their respective test as many times as they may have if not for COVID, meaning that there is more emphasis placed on an individual test.
In January, the College Board eliminated the subject tests, which had already become an almost secondary factor in the admissions process. So, when the pandemic hit and it was becoming increasingly difficult for students to take just the ACT or SAT, subject tests were done away with.
“It’s mostly a benefit [that subject tests are gone] because it’s one less thing for students to have to stress about and deal with,” said Alyse Levine, founder and CEO of Premium Prep, a college counseling service. “But there is a negative, in that it was another way that students could distinguish themselves in a specialty area where they were very strong.”
While some colleges have gone test-optional in order to create a more equitable experience for applicants, others have been test-optional for years, though many students still include their scores to boost their application.
In August of 2020, colleges across the nation signed a pledge called “Test-Optional Means Test-Optional,” put out by NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling). Colleges understand that they must not penalize students for not sending scores.
In the admissions process for the class of 2021, Common App reported a 17 percent increase in applications at the most selective private public colleges where there were previously numerous roadblocks in applying, a major one being standardized testing.
“[Test-optional] has allowed students that previously may have seen the testing as a barrier decide to throw their hat into the ring,” Levine said. “COVID has created a lot of really good momentum. Many schools have seen huge increases in students of color, first generation students, underserved students [and] low income students.”
Despite the potential risk, testing will still go on, just as the college process must.
Photo by Eloise Rich/The ECHO
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