State board waives college entrance requirement

High school students who plan to attend postsecondary institutions in Idaho during the 2021-22 academic year will not be required to take a college entrance exam.

The Idaho State Board of Education extended its waiver Monday of the test requirement for admission to universities and colleges in the Gem State by one year.

“The SAT school day originally scheduled for administration this spring was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said TJ Bliss, the board’s chief academic officer. “This cancelation meant a small number of high school seniors were unable to take, or more likely retake the SAT, and that the vast majority of high school juniors were unable to take the SAT.”

As the pandemic progresses, Bliss said it continues to affect how education is delivered and could affect students’ ability to take the SAT in the fall. All eight of Idaho’s public higher education institutions are actively recruiting for the 2021-22 academic year.

“They need to be able to make decisions about the requirements and communicate accurately about these requirements with potential students,” Bliss said.

While the board’s action means Idaho’s institutions can waive the college entrance exam admissions requirement for students, some institutions may still require the score to process scholarships and make financial aid decisions.

During the 18-minute board meeting, action was taken to lower the cumulative GPA requirement for Idaho’s Direct Admissions program from 3.0 to 2.8.

The previously used formula gave students “conditional admission” into postsecondary institutions by calculating six semesters worth of GPA and a student’s college entrance exam score.

Since most students entering their senior year of high school this fall did not have the opportunity to take a college entrance exam and were not able to improve their sixth semester GPA, or received pass-fail grades, the board decided to modify the formula used to determine admission eligibility.

Students’ direct admissions decisions will be based exclusively on a fifth semester GPA, with a benchmark set at 2.8.

Presidents of Idaho’s four-year public higher education institutions voiced their support for both moves, which were approved unanimously at the meeting.

Board member Kurt Liebech said the use of college entrance exams should be assessed in more depth at a later date.

“I think at some point here … there should be a longer board discussion about … where these standardized tests fit in the Idaho education system,” Liebech said. “I think it’s a debate that’s waging itself across the United States right now, and I think it’s one we’ll want to spend more time on here in the future.”

The College Board scheduled the SAT test day for Oct. 14 throughout Idaho, according to a news release.

Although scores from the SAT won’t be required for the 2021-22 school year, Board President Debbie Critchfield encouraged high school seniors to take the test.

“SAT or ACT scores, in addition to GPA, will help institutions make decisions on financial aid and scholarships, and students who want to apply to institutions outside of Idaho may need a college entrance exam score to meet requirements elsewhere,” she said in the news release.

Tomtas may be contacted at jtomtas@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2294. Follow her on Twitter @jtomtas.