How Technology is Fundamentally Changing Standardized Testing

…and why this is an issue that should keep ALL educators up at night.

By Vaangmaya Rebba and Dr. Benjamin Drury

The College Board announced that starting in 2024, the SAT will be available online, a change that has sparked debate among students and educators alike. While some are resistant to the idea of this shift, others see it as a necessary course of action. The main reason the College Board wants to implement the online SAT is because of COVID-19, which disrupted many students’ ability to take the test. The online version of the SAT is seen as a preventative measure that can mitigate similar disruptions in the future. However, there are also concerns about the potential difficulties that students may face in adapting to the new format. In fact, González et al. (2020) conducted a study on the influence of COVID-19 confinement on students’ performance in higher education. One specific example they found was that students who lived in areas with worse internet connectivity were more likely to experience difficulties with online learning and had lower academic performance than those with better internet access. This highlights the importance of considering students’ access to technology and internet when designing online learning environments.