BRYAN, Texas — The world of education seems to be constantly changing. The College Board announced it will postpone plans to have an online version of the SAT. Local school districts and tutoring centers are doing its best to help students adapt to what changes come their way.
“We have had kids who’ve returned, but we also have a population out there who are just not quite ready," said Anthonette Ruffino, the owner of Sylvan Learning Center of Bryan-College Station.
Sylvan Learning Center of B/CS uses Zoom and other online tools to help kids with subjects like math, reading, science and even college preparation courses.
"The students are still working on preparing for the SATs, that is one of the things Sylvan does quite well is their college prep program," said Sylvan Learning Center of B/CS director, Marina Schoeneman.
After canceling SAT dates earlier in spring, the College Board announced it would make plans to go digital for the test in the fall. However, last week the College Board said it is now delaying the virtual test.
“You’re asking those kids to sit for a three-hour test and hope that the technology works well and they have good reception," Ruffino said. "I think that is one of the reasons it didn’t work.”
The College Board does cite possible technology interruptions as a reason to why it is postponing the online test.
With the constant change of instruction and test-taking, Bryan ISD is telling students to stay up to date and do their research on what colleges are looking for.
“I’ve heard a little bit of everything from colleges," said Christina Richardson, the director of Advanced Academics for Bryan ISD. "There are somewhere nothing has changed, it is all the same. Some are accepting late scores and some are waving the requirement for (SATs) altogether.”
Tutoring centers, like Sylvan Learning Center, said even if a college does not require taking the SAT for admission, students should still take the test anyway.
“Sometimes it's for financial aid, sometimes it's for scholarships," Ruffino. "For those kids, it’s still in their best interest to continue. It's an opportunity for these kids to just get better with their reading and math. Those are skills they will use in college as well.”
As to what test sites make look like for the fall, local educators are not sure. They do say for those interested in taking the SAT, signing up as soon as possible would be the best route.
"There is a possibility, not just for our site, but all sites because of social distancing requirements that spaces may be limited," Richardson said.
The College Board did state it will introduce the online SAT in some schools, but "do not want to introduce the stress of extended at-home testing in this already disrupted admissions season.”
As of now, the ACT plans on doing remote testing in the fall.