Why is Florida the only state requiring SAT/ACT for 2021 college admissions?

 

Why is Florida the only state requiring SAT/ACT for 2021 college admissions?

Florida’s popular Bright Futures Scholarship program could be behind a controversial decision that has left the state as the only one in the country insisting students sit for ACT or SAT tests during the pandemic in order to apply for admission to public universities.

Ally Schneider, a member of the board that oversees Florida’s 12 public universities, said Board of Governors staff have told her the state is reluctant to waive SAT/ACT requirement this year because students who want to qualify for the scholarships must still submit scores.

None of the 15 other members of the Board of Governors, most of whom are appointed by the governor, would answer emailed questions about why they refused to lift the standardized test rule. One directed a reporter to Board Chair Syd Kitson and Chancellor Marshall Criser. Neither responded to requests for comment.

Other state universities across the country have gone “test-optional” this year, temporarily suspending the requirement for applicants to submit scores because many exam sessions were canceled during the spring and summer as the pandemic raged on. But Florida has kept the rule, even as parents, students and the admissions directors at the state’s universities, have asked for relief.