Summer is here, but the impacts of the pandemic are here to stay

School is out, and that well-deserved summer vacation is finally upon us. This year has been nothing short of exceptional, and students, parents and teachers should all be proud of how they’ve coped and adapted to the unique challenges of the pandemic. As we head into the summer season, it’s important to reflect on the lessons the pandemic has taught us and predict some of the short and long-term impacts. Here are some of our thoughts.

Teachers

Teaching through a pandemic has met with various levels of success. But overall, the shift to online learning proved to be a big and often unrewarding challenge. One of the strongest impacts of the pandemic on teachers is that more and more of them may leave, retire, or adapt their methods. K-12 Teachers who first struggled with the Common Core, and later with the online learning modes that were forced on them, will leave in greater numbers. The pressure of following a curriculum and learning entirely new teaching methods proved to be too much for certain teachers. Similarly, college professors who were caught off-guard by online learning and obtained negative reviews from students will re-evaluate their future and either retire or learn from the experience. It seems that very few found online learning fruitful, and there will be a negative connotation towards online learning unless there is a modification to gauge involvement and engagement from individual students.

Students

Due to the flaws in online learning and little time to test trial and error, high school and some college students will discover serious academic gaps. With unequal connections to the Internet and difficulty following classes that are less and less hands-on and engaging, the difference in academic success is measurable. As a result, both high schools and colleges will discard online learning motions that failed and invest in online learning that can still be used post-pandemic to complement courses and overall curriculum.

Standardized test scores have long been a staple of the college application. Students generally start studying for the SAT or ACT well in advance and schedule multiple test dates to submit the highest scores possible. This type of testing was deemed useful to colleges and universities because it was supposed to be indicative of student performance: a direct, concrete way to evaluate academic skills. However, the reality is not exactly that.

Standardized testing has undergone quite a bit of criticism as well, bringing to light biases against race and socio-economic status, and little prediction of future academic performance. So COVID-19 has been the straw that broke the camel’s back in a struggle of universal acceptance.

It’s clear that the pandemic has changed the old ways of applying to college. With many colleges and universities giving students a break this year and adopting temporary or permanent test-optional policies, there is a whole new game to master.

According to a recent article, the test optional application has required admissions officers to take a new stance when evaluating prospective students. Whereas before, testing was a relatively simple way to classify students into ranks, without it, other factors such as GPA, essays and recommendations are gaining more weight and importance.

From an admissions standpoint, the shift away from testing shouldn’t mean that it will be more difficult and time-consuming to evaluate applications, but that applications will be approached from a different perspective. One such approach is polling, used by admissions officers to rate candidates based on their transcripts. This technique is used now at Cornell.

ACT postpones section retesting

The June ACT was far from the typical testing experience. With testing centers in 45 states practicing physical distancing and adhering to CDC guidelines, students were given a taste of the new reality of standardized testing, and it’s quite complicated. 

Due to COVID-19, this testing season in general has been chaotic and stressful, to say the least. With test dates cancelled and futures uncertain, students taking the ACT now have to face a new challenge. According to the ACT’s blog, CEO Janet Godwin has decided to postpone section retesting for 2020. This means that students who already took the ACT will not be able to retake sections to improve their superscores until some time later in 2021. 

When to expect them and what to do once you get them

PSAT scores from the October tests will be released to students starting on December 9^th, with dates varying by state. For those in Connecticut, PSAT scores will be available on December 9^th; for New York and New Jersey, you will be able to access your scores on December 11^th.

Why is the ACT Announcement so important? The ACT and College Board (SAT) companies have been highly competitive with each other over the past decade, making the ACT’s recent announcement revolutionary for this industry.  Most important is the ability for students to effectively "Do Over" specific sections of the test at their choosing.  For example, if a student has done well in three test sections (ie, English, Math and Reading) but not done as well in Science, they can now retake just the Science section. So what does this mean?