SAT canceled for June and it might be “remote” in the fall

The College Board on Wednesday announced that the SAT scheduled for June 6 is now canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“To keep students safe, and in alignment with public health guidance and school closures across 192 countries, we will not be able to administer the SAT or SAT Subject Tests on June 6, 2020,” the College Board, which administers the “scholastic aptitude test,” said in a statement Wednesday.

The organization said the next SAT will be administered in August, pending any changes in public health guidelines. It will also administer an additional test in September in an effort to accommodate students whose tests were canceled.

“If it’s safe from a public health standpoint, we’ll provide weekend SAT administrations every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August,” reads the College Board statement. “This includes a new administration in September and the previously scheduled tests on August 29, October 3, November 7, and December 5.”

Several private universities, as well as the entire University of California system, have already waived standardized testing requirements for juniors, in light of the academic disruptions caused by COVID-19. 

There were originally seven SAT dates scheduled throughout the 2019-2020 academic year. The March exam’s makeup date, scheduled for March 28, was the first test affected by the pandemic. The next official test, set for May 2, was also later canceled. There was never an exam scheduled for April. 

The organization said Wednesday that it is prepared to provide students with “digital exams” in the “unlikely event that schools do not reopen this fall.” According to its statement, the board is already delivering such exams to three million students taking advanced placement tests this spring. 

“As we’re doing with at-home Advanced Placement exams, we would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple, secure and fair, accessible to all, and valid for use in college admissions,” it said. “Like the paper test, a digital, remote version of the SAT would measure what students are learning in school and what they need to know to be successful in college.”

The College Board said that “specific information” about tests provided to students for free by certain states or school districts “will be shared in the coming weeks.” Students in states where the exam is mandated should “check with their school or district for updates” on testing dates, it said.