BYRON CENTER, Mich. — Many students scrambled to take the SAT elsewhere when schools closed last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with schools now reopened there was some "gray area" amongst schools and parents on whether or not students were mandated to retake the test at their home school.
In an email to parent Wendy Lowry, Byron Center High School Principal said new clarification had been passed down Wednesday by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, excusing those who have already tested for the SAT elsewhere from participating in a school-offered test this fall.
"New boilerplate language clarifies the requirement for districts to administer the SAT and PSAT to their students this fall. For the 2020-21 school year only, the language requires districts to make the SAT and PSAT available in the fall to students who were not able to take the exams during the FY 2019-20 year. The language prohibits the exams from being considered as state summative assessments or the college entrance portion of the MME for the 2020-21 school year, meaning that this cannot replace spring administration of the SAT and PSAT. It also requires that students be encouraged, but not required, to take the exams," the email read.
This news comes after Lowry's daughter, Esme, was initially told by Byron Center High School that she would have to re-take the SAT in-person, after previously taking it in August amid the COVID-19 school closings.
"I was supposed to take it in April at school, but that was cancelled since schools closed. We didn't know they'd be offering it again next month, so at that point we signed up for one in June and then that got cancelled, so we signed up for one in August," she explained.
The Lowry family said they were frustrated by the news, as they were uncomfortable with the health risk of Esme taking the in-person test again, adding the only reason they allowed her to do it the first time was for college and scholarship opportunities.
"For the school she wants to go to and the scholarship she wants, they are not waiving the SAT or extending the deadline," Lowry explained.
She emailed Michigan Department of Education for clarification and was told the mandate was only for the school to provide the test free to students. It is not a requirement for students to take the test with their home school.
"This fall schools are required to administer the PSAT and SAT’s for those students who missed the administration last spring. This is a requirement from EO 2020-65 from the Governor’s Office. However, there is no accountability impact to a school or student for these fall administrations given the unique situations. That means that your school leadership is correct, they have to administer the test to any student that wants one. If a student is not there on test day, there are no negative repercussions (for this fall only)," Andrew Middlestead, Director of Educational Assessment & Accountability at the Michigan Department of Education, said in an email.
Byron Center High School has since rescinded its email mandate, and has told Esme she won't have to retest, adding that it's a time of learning and reacting amid the pandemic.
Esme's parents said they trust their school and wanted to share their story in hopes it can help other schools, parents and students become more educated on the mandates during this time of uncertainty due to COVID-19.
"There are potential hundreds and thousands of people around the state who have already taken it, who don’t need to take it again," Esme's father, James said.
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