In response to the spread of coronavirus, the ACT and the College Board announced that upcoming tests would be postponed in order to abide by the nationwide guidance against public gatherings.
The ACT exam scheduled on April 4th has been rescheduled for June 13.
Two upcoming SAT testing dates have been canceled. Students registered for the SAT scheduled for May 2 will get refunds. The College Board warned that students who took the SAT on March 14 may not receive valid results. "Students who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds," the announcement on the College Board's website reads. It is not specified what irregularities are anticipated. In Maine, students who were not warned about the cancellation showed up for the exam to empty schools. In Miami, one of the school districts decided to proceed with the test but received a flurry of negative feedback on social media. "No one concerned with mental impact and social anxiety will affect student performance?" one person wrote. Another added, "Really? Cram a bunch of kids in a room and pray nobody gets sick … no stress for the kids … it can wait."
Bob Schaeffer, Interim Executive Director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest), a non-profit organization that advocates that standardized tests are misused, expressed concern that students returning later, when schools would reopen, would not be ready for the exams. "Scores from tests administered under those circumstances would have even less meaning than usual because of lack of learning time and disruptions from the coronavirus," he said. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine suggested a flexible approach: "If we can't have testing this year, we will not have testing this year. The world will not come to an end."
However, the International Baccalaureate Organization said on its website that it would not alter its exam schedule. While the deadlines for various portfolio components have been extended, the IBO stated that "There may be a situation where students will receive a pending grade" for subjects they would not be able to complete on time or altogether.
