By Ashley Feeney
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The College Board SAT Exam will be administered at 10 Baltimore County public high schools on Saturday, Dec. 5, county officials said.
In a news release, the county said the exam will be administering at Catonsville, Eastern Technical, Hereford, Kenwood, Loch Raven, New Town, Parkville, Perry Hall and Randallstown high schools as well as the Milford Mill Academy.
Testing will start between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Once testing has begun, latecomers cannot be admitted. The test is three hours long if you don’t include the writing section. The full set of rules can be found here.
All students and staff will be required to wear a mask and remain at least 6 feet apart during an SAT administration. Students will also be asked to fill out a form that inquires about their health status prior to taking the exam. Students who violate the rules will be removed from the building.
County Councilman David Marks, R-5th District, said the county has strong safety measures in place to prevent future COVID-19 cases during the exam.
“All students and staff are required to wear a mask or protective face covering during an SAT administration,” Mark said. “Students won’t be allowed in the test center without a mask, which is required for the duration of testing.”
Marks believes that county parents support administering the exam as long as health guidelines are followed.
“Most parents are supportive of offering this testing as long as safety guidelines are maintained,” Mark said. “Students who violate the requirements will be dismissed from the test center. If this happens their scores will be canceled, and they won’t receive a refund.”
Full safety guidelines for the SAT exam are available on the College Board website.
Baltimore County Public School Family and Community Engagement Specialist Charles Herndon believes that offering the SAT exam will increase the educational opportunities for students.
“While we continue to keep the health and safety of our staff and students foremost in mind when making educational decisions, we also want to offer as many educational opportunities as possible when conditions allow us to do so,” Herndon said.
Herndon said that even though most universities are not requiring a submission of the SAT exam, the county was eager to give students the chance to show academic improvement
“The SAT Saturday national administration is a voluntary opportunity,” Herndon said. “We recognize that while many colleges and universities are not requiring the SAT for this year’s seniors, some colleges and universities may still seek a score from applicants, and we wanted to ensure for students that are applying to college to have an opportunity if they needed it.”
Herndon said county parents appreciate the efforts in supporting their child’s education.
“We believe parents of high school students would appreciate the voluntary opportunity to take the exam,” Herndon said. “Although taking the exam is voluntary, students and their families can decide for themselves whether this is an opportunity they would like to take.”
Renee Lamonder, who has a student at Lansdowne High School, said the county schools should be open if they are administering the SAT exam.
“COVID-19 numbers are increasing in Maryland each day; they are growing by the thousands,” Lamonder said. “If the county believes they can open 10 county high schools then they can be open up for daily learning.”
Lamonder said that administering the test will provide further information for the County Re-Opening Plan.
“The county has been very good at providing guidelines for us to follow,” said Lamonder. “Providing this test will give the county a better idea on what precautions need to happen in the reopening of our children’s school.”
Towson High School parent Marie Acadu said it’s too soon for the county to be making this decision in a global pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting our country in a whole different dimension. Maryland COVID-19 numbers are increasing by the thousand,” Acadu said. “I understand that the county is trying to offer educational opportunities, but we need to make sure county students are healthy before we make big decisions like this.”
“Through it all, BCPS has relied upon a close collaboration with county and state health department partners and their data to help determine our course of action,” Herndon said. “We have kept the health and safety of our students and staff as the top priority in any decision regarding the school system, by distributing meals to students throughout the county or deciding how and when to return to the school buildings.”
Students interested in taking the test at one of these sites must register on the College Board website. Early registration is recommended because these sites will be opened for all area students, not just Baltimore County Public School students.
Information on fees can be found on the College Board website.