The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) has provided untold angst to high schoolers nationwide since 1926 – but it’s reign of terror may be coming to an end. The SAT has been widely used in the United States for college admissions to determine a student’s readiness to move to the next level in education. But now it’s being tested by the new kid in town: the Classic Learning Test (CLT), an upstart competitor to the College Board’s traditional benchmarking tool and admissions exam.
The promotion of the CLT has the College Board folks squirming and employing lobbyists to bully state legislators into voting against new test that one Tennessee lawmaker had proposed. The old guard, somewhat resistant to change, sent a warning via supplicant to Republican Rep. William Slater last month.
“She let me know that the College Board is opposed and indicated that she will be speaking with each member of the higher education subcommittee,” Slater told RealClear Investigations. The College Board, a non-profit with nearly $2 billion in assets, has decided to plant its behemoth flag on the standardized test hillside.
What Is the New Classic Learning Test?
Jeremy Tate, a high school teacher at the time, debuted the Classic Learning Test in 2015. Back in 2013, Tate had been night schooling eleventh graders who struggled with the traditional English curriculum. He says on his website: “Looking through the textbook, I flipped through page after page of fragmented passages, meaningless activities, and bland stories that had no chance of rousing these kids from their indifference.”
Tate was on to something.
The radical educator that Tate was, he tossed the material and – out of pocket – purchased copies of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories. “The game plan for class would be simple – each evening, we would form a circle, read out loud, and stop to discuss when anyone felt the urge.” That experiment prompted students to engage and pass the class. The catalyst put Tate on the path to create something different.
Here is the mission statement for his organization:
“Classic Learning Test (CLT) exists to reconnect knowledge and virtue by providing meaningful assessments and connections to seekers of truth, goodness, and beauty.
“What do we mean by ‘knowledge’ and ‘virtue’? As far back as Plato, the goal of education was understood as developing both intellect and character in students. Its purpose was to help students become better human beings.”
Educators of all stripes – from progressive philosophy professor Cornel West to conservative Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn – have praised CLT. The new test features readings from the classic literature and historical texts that have shaped the western world. Still, the College Board, however, continues to back its old standby.
Why Stick to the Old Ways?
Carl Brigham created the SAT in 1926 after working with the man in charge of the Army Alpha test, which was used to determine which recruit would be suited to an officer rank. But the test allegedly embodied Brigham’s belief that people of color are innately less intelligent than whites. If true, it has disadvantaged uncountable students over the years. In any case, the bias – real or perceived – has kept the SAT mired in controversy since its inception.
Why not embrace an additional assessment of a student’s strengths and aptitude, especially now? Most undergraduate universities no longer require the SAT, ACT, or any admissions exam – and many won’t even look at the results if an applicant submits them, a state they fondly refer to as “fully test-blind.” That list includes 90% of institutions graded among the annual US News & World Report of colleges.
Charter schools and homeschoolers already prefer CLT in several states, namely Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Around 250 higher education institutions are accepting the newest aptitude test, as well.
If the College Board continues to buck the trend, the organization’s days may be numbered. As Tate has repeatedly expressed: “When you remove every transcendental idea from education, students are right to be bored out of their minds. Give them something that deserves their attention, and they will respond. It’s human nature.”
