The family lives in North Carolina, but the only testing center with a place available was in South Carolina. So the couple packed up the family car, took the road trip, and even spent the night in a hotel to get their daughter a good night’s rest on the test.
But when they arrived at the testing center on Saturday, they found a note posted on the door informing them, like other shocked families across the United States, that the test had been canceled.
“The ACT scheduled for today (7/18) has been CANCELED,” said the poster. “ACT should have contacted you. We are very sorry that you were not notified.”
ACT did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
But on its website, the testing company said some tests are being canceled or rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hoover said he understood the need to keep students safe, but felt that ACT should have given more notice to families.
“Even with a list, why does ACT expect us to scour the websites every day for cancellations?” Hoover told CNN. “They have all of our information and could easily communicate en masse with anyone affected.”
Privileged families have an undue advantage
The Hoovers are not alone: Parents across the country express their concerns and frustration at the canceled tests this weekend. Some are also concerned that he is giving privileged students an undue advantage.
Rana El Kaliouby, another mother of a student whose test was canceled without warning on Saturday, said the situation left her “stressed, enraged and feeling helpless.”
This is the third time El Kaliouby’s daughter Jana Amin, 17, has prepared to take the ACT, only to have it canceled, she said.
The first two times, once in April and once in June, they received an email two weeks earlier informing them of the cancellations.
This time, the two drove nearly six hours from Massachusetts to New York City for the only test location available. But when they got to the test center, they also saw a sign announcing the cancellation.
The Kaliouby said that at least 10 other families were there with them.
“We routinely check the portal. The test appeared to be on, and it still shows that the test is on. We also did not receive email notifications from ACT. Zilch,” El Kaliouby told CNN. “I know and understand how difficult it is to lead a business in the face of all this uncertainty, but the way ACT is handling this is simply unacceptable.”
The Kaliouby said that each cancellation costs his family time and money. Fortunately, you can afford to make accommodations, but not all families can.
“I consider myself and Jana privileged,” said El Kaliouby. “I’m in a position to take the day off from work and book a hotel for the night, not to mention the thousands of dollars I keep spending on tutoring every time the exam is canceled and we need to increase the tutoring again by the next the proof.”
“Most families are not so privileged. This whole process is introducing so much bias and inequity into an application process for the university that it is already criticized for not providing equal opportunities.”
Cancel ACT / SAT requirement
Still, many parents and students fear that not taking the test, even if it is not a requirement, could harm their chances of being accepted into a good school.
“Unfortunately, universities won’t be able to tell the difference between a student who has studied hard over and over again, and drove hundreds of miles to try to take the test, and those kids who didn’t even try. Same thing, no score,” El Kaliouby said.
Other parents, and even some educators, are happy that schools have waived the exam requirement and say it should have been done a long time ago.
Suzy Furman, a private tutor in the Washington, DC area, who prepares students for the ACT test, said it has always been problematic.
“I think ACT has been on thin ice, even before it started treating its clients so badly in recent months,” Furman told CNN. “Universities are moving away from these tests. Not only because of the current pandemic situation, that’s obvious.”
But, he said, there is a “bigger problem” with college entrance exams:
“They have tended to favor students with financial advantages. Ultimately, the only way to really balance it is to eliminate assessments like the SAT and the ACT.”
Families left to make their own decisions
For now, parents have to make their own decisions about whether or not their children should take the test, and the wrong choice could have a lasting impact.
Camille Brinson, a 16-year-old in Tennessee, is desperately trying to retake the ACT test to increase her chances of entering her dream school.
“To go to the school of my dreams, I just need to improve my ACT a little and I’m sure I can do it now, but the only grade I have sent them so far is pretty bad and not a great example of my ability,” he told CNN.
“Standardized testing is such a biased system, and if universities looked more closely at my grades and extracurricular activities, I would feel more than safe right now.”
Brinson and his family drove three hours through Tennessee on Saturday and even paid for a hotel they didn’t need because their ACT test was canceled.
Like other students, Brinson is unsure when ACT will offer another test near her, or if she will even be able to take it in time to bolster her college applications.
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