The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) will be held on Monday, March 10, at 8 a.m. in Aliso Niguel High School’s main gym. This is a return to being able to take the exam at school after a long absence.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, the SAT was offered at the school on a regular basis. Once the pandemic impacted the normal functioning of schools, the test was no longer offered at the school; so, students who wanted to take the SAT had to travel elsewhere to take the exam.
Over time, many parents complained that they didn’t have access to take the test on campus. Parents complained that it was inconvenient and cost-prohibitive to travel to other schools. The school district re-evaluated its policy and began working to bring back the SAT at ANHS. Following the student and parent feedback, the district decided to administer the test at the school so that students would have the opportunity to take the SAT on a school day.
Ms. Thompson states, “Previously, Aliso offered the SAT on campus, but due to COVID, we had to temporarily suspend the service. However, after hearing concerns from parents that our students were having to travel to other schools to take the test, we reinstated the program. I’m pleased to say that the SAT is once again being offered here at Aliso.”
Now, students are able to take the SAT at school but will miss the first and second period on Monday due to the fact it will be a school day. The students who take the SAT on Monday will be able to make up the work they miss by talking to their teachers. Most of the students taking the SAT are upperclassmen, specifically juniors.
Mr. Lihme says, “I have two freshman classes and four senior classes so it’s not really the demographic taking the SAT. I’m generally an advocate for Mondays in general, whether it’s for students and even for teachers when we have professional development, so it’s an equal balance to have the SAT on a Monday.”
With students starting their college applications and certain colleges requiring SAT scores for applicants again, it is appealing for students to take the test. Those who do well on the SAT will help strengthen skills needed for college, make their application stand out and may even qualify scholarships. Therefore, having the SAT at school makes it easier for students to access it, so the SAT coming back to Aliso will be helpful for the future Wolverines who want to take the SAT and not go to a different school to take it.
