Dear Colleagues,
We hope this finds you and yours well. Let me begin by saying how deeply everyone at the College Board appreciates the vital role school counselors, teachers, AP coordinators, principals, and superintendents have played in the past few weeks providing guidance and comfort to students and their families, even as you deal with the stresses on you and your own families. We wish you the best during this immensely challenging time.
In the face of the significant disruptions caused by the coronavirus, the College Board has been seeking and listening to your input on how we might best support you and your students now and in the coming months.
You have been clear: The College Board needs to act to reassure students, counselors, high schools, and higher education that we're committed to providing support, flexibility, and solutions during this crisis.
Because students overwhelmingly told us they want to take their AP Exams, we're providing
online learning and AP Exams available at home for all students this spring. We're so grateful to the community of extraordinary teachers who stepped up to teach
live classes on YouTube, as well as all the AP educators helping students continue with their study.
We're working to ensure students have the supports they need, including approved accommodations, that low-income students have access to devices and connectivity to participate remotely from home, and that students receive the AP credit they've earned through these exams. Finally, the security of the AP Exams is a top priority. The exam questions are designed and administered in ways that prevent cheating, and we use a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of the exams.
We know that students are anxious about how the coronavirus crisis will affect the college application process, including taking the SAT. We're committed to being flexible and innovative to give all students opportunities to test as soon as the situation allows. We'll share more details as soon as possible, but today we can tell you the following:
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Currently, the next SAT is scheduled for the first weekend of June. We'll make a decision about whether we can safely hold that administration as soon as it is feasible, given the evolving public health situation.
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We'll add U.S. and international test administrations in response to canceled administrations. We'll be flexible in making the SAT available in school and out of school as soon as the public health situation allows. We're looking at a range of creative solutions to address increased demand and are in direct conversations with states and districts about School Day administrations. Throughout, we'll continue to place a special focus on students with fee waivers and those with accommodations.
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Students can stay sharp and get personalized practice support online for free with Khan Academy.
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If, unfortunately, schools cannot reopen this fall, we're pursuing innovative means to ensure all students can still take the SAT this fall. We'll provide updates about those plans if they become necessary.
Counselors are working especially hard to help students navigate the changing environment, and we're deeply grateful for their commitment to students. To support their work, we're introducing a spring counselor webinar series highlighting updates and resources for the SAT and AP to help counselors navigate and guide students through the college admissions pathway. We'll also help with the increasing need for tools and resources for college affordability.
We're working closely with our members in higher education to minimize the disruption of SAT administration cancellations this spring and to encourage flexibility in the college admissions process whenever possible. We're heartened by those institutions that have already made clear, calming statements that emphasize flexibility in admissions at this time—encouraging students to submit as much information as they can, and reassuring applicants that they will not be disadvantaged should they have to submit Pass/Fail grades for the spring, have incomplete extracurricular profiles, or miss a testing deadline.
Thank you again for all you have done to help your students during this unprecedented time. We look forward to working with you in the months ahead.
Sincerely,
David Coleman
CEO, The College Board
