Testing News Round-up

In case you haven't been keeping up with all the SAT/ACT-related news, here's a roundup of the latest that's new or noteworthy:

If you’re planning on taking the SAT or ACT, make sure you’ve got a mask

Both the College Board and ACT, Inc have put regulations in place for fall testing dates that require everyone in the testing location - both testing officials and students - to wear an appropriate face covering. ACT, Inc will be providing more details in the coming weeks, but the College Board has specified that students taking the SAT must keep their masks on for the duration of the test: if they take their masks off or violate social distancing guidelines in any way, they may be expelled from the testing center and their test scores may be canceled.

University of California system must be test-blind for 2020-21 admissions cycle, according to court order

A California Superior Court Judge has ruled that the UC system cannot use the SAT or ACT for any admissions purpose during this college admissions cycle. In the spring, the UC system became test-optional, with individual campuses deciding whether they would look at optional test scores or not. On August 31, Judge Brad Seligman ruled in favor of a group of plaintiffs who argued that the UC’s system’s test-optional policy unfairly disadvantaged students with disabilities, granting a preliminary injunction that is set to stop the UC schools from considering testing for admissions this year. For thoughts about the potential consequences of the ruling, see Jed's article on the topic.

College Board cancels August SAT in Egypt over security concerns

A College Board source told Inside Higher Ed that the testing agency decided to cancel the August 29th SAT due to a test security concern. According to Daily News Egypt, "an early copy of this year’s SAT exam had leaked and [was] being offered for sale."

ACT cancels international testing administrations for December 2020 and February 2021, citing COVID

On August 25, the ACT announced that there will be no international testing in December 2020 or February 2021, due to concerns about COVID-19. Students affected by this cancellation have already been contacted to reschedule their test date.