School opts out of SAT School Day

Test still being offered at school on Saturdays

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photo or infographic by Carlie

SATURDAY TESTING DATES. SAT is offered on Saturdays throughout the year.

The SAT will not be offered to seniors this fall on  the SAT School Day on Wednesday, September 23. This decision was made due to the ongoing pandemic and due to the fact that most four-year colleges will not require an ACT or SAT score for fall 2021 admissions.  

Despite not offering the test this fall, the school had offered it previously to the class of 2021.

“I do think it is great that Willis ISD paid last year for WHS students to take the SAT on the School Day,” Osborn said.  “Many school districts do not pay for the SAT School Day.”

Due to the procedures that schools have had to take against COVID-19, this school year has proved to be tough to plan out.  

“This year’s scheduling and logistics provide a unique challenge to all school districts,” Osborn said. 

Although it is not required by many colleges, students can still better their SAT scores if they feel the need to. 

“The SAT is still being offered on College Board assigned weekend test dates,” testing coordinator Stephanie Osborn said. 

History teacher Michael Robinson is the coordinator of Saturday SAT testing plans to start testing on campus this month.

“We do plan to offer the test on Sept 26th and every other date this school year with the exception of the June date,” Robinson said.

Some seniors feel it is an inconvenience that the SAT day was cancelled.  

“It made me very upset because now it is extremely difficult to find a school nearby that hosts an ACT or SAT,” senior Megan LeBlanc said. “Although few colleges are requiring test scores, it is important for some schools, making admissions harder than ever.”

Even though they might not need it, some seniors were still wanting to take the SAT, but they now have to take matters into their own hands to figure out when and where they should take it.  

“I think that it is unfair to all the seniors who were planning on taking it because now they have to sign up through the College Board to take the next available test,” senior Emily Perez said.

Even though colleges are not looking at SAT and ACT scores, they will be looking at other student’s scores, and that might not help the students as much as what people may believe.

“I think it is fair to offer the SAT anyway,” senior Olivia Bell said. “Even though they are not going to be looking at this year’s test, if you don’t take it, they will be looking at previous scores, and that could hurt some students.” 

Sometimes students are dependent on the amenities offered at schools, whether it is the counselors or the tests given on campus.

“The first thing that comes to mind is the tarnishing of their reputation,” senior Bailey Gordy said.“It’s comparative to breaking a promise. There’s no telling how many kids were reliant on that option to get into their college of choice, and it looks unprofessional to schedule something and fail to see it through. Not all families are in a position to go out of their way and transport a child to an approved testing center when it could have simply been done at a facility they attend on a weekly basis anyways. Many kids ride the bus for a reason.”