College Board drops SAT’s optional essay and subject tests to ‘reduce demands on students’ (nbcnews.com) – By Tim Fitzsimons (NBC News) / January 19 2021
U.S. students registered for subject tests will get refunds. The last subject tests for international locations will be in May and June.
The College Board announced Tuesday that it is ending the optional essay section and subject-area exams of the SAT for college-bound U.S. students.
The coronavirus pandemic “accelerated a process already underway” to “simplify our work and reduce demands on students,” the College Board, a standardized testing nonprofit, said in a note to members.
Broader and more diverse access to Advanced Placement courses, the College Board said, means SAT tests in subjects like biology, physics and world history are “no longer necessary for students to show what they know.” SAT subject tests were optional, multiple-choice exams that students could take to demonstrate aptitude or standardized academic credentials in topics like Spanish, biology and physics — none of which are part of the general SAT exam.
U.S. students registered for subject tests will get refunds, while the College Board will provide two final SAT subject test administrations in May and June for international locations because the tests “are used internationally for a wider variety of purposes.”
