Florida State Officials Consider ‘Classic and Christian’ SAT Alternative: Report
- Florida officials are in talks to use the CLT as an alternative to the SAT, according to the Miami Herald.
- Jeremy Tate, founder of the CLT, told the Herald that the SAT is becoming “increasingly ideologized”.
- Discussions about the new test began when Governor DeSantis announced that he was ending government support for AP courses.
According to The Miami Herald, senior Florida officials are in talks with the founder and CEO of an education testing company that supporters say is based on “the great classical and Christian tradition.”
The potential for such a test, used in Florida, has become more apparent as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wrestled with the College Board in recent weeks over the curriculum of his Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies pilot course, which included the governor. On Tuesday, the idea was floated that the state could drop support for rigorous college-level AP courses.
The classic study test, billed as “rich in content, intellectually richer, and more rigorous than other standardized tests and college entrance examinations,” is primarily used in private schools and home-school settings.
Jeremy Tate, the founder, told the Herald that the test was meant to be an alternative to the SAT, which is administered by the College Board and has long been the standard in US high schools for students entering colleges and universities. (Many universities have made the SAT optional in recent years, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.)
Tate told the paper that the SAT was becoming “increasingly ideologized” in part because it “censored the entire Christian Catholic intellectual tradition”.
The testing company’s website indicated that Tate was working as a high school English teacher when he concluded that “transcendental, moral and ethical ideas were eviscerated from the classroom” and high-stakes testing was part of the reason.
Tate told the Herald that he held meetings with Ray Rodriguez, provost of the Florida Public University System, and lawmakers to see if they could make the test more accessible to high school students in the state.
“We’re very happy that they love what we do,” Tate told the Herald. “We’re talking to people in the administration, again, really, almost every day right now.”
DeSantis did not specifically mention the Classic Learning Test as one of the sources he had in mind as an alternative to the SAT, but stated that he would like to look at “other providers.”
Florida Department of Education senior chancellor Henry Mack on Thursday expressed interest in using the classic learning test.
“Not only do we have to build anew, going back to the foundations of our democracy, the CLT also provides an opportunity for all of our colleges and universities to reprioritize,” he said. said on Twitter.
Rodriguez confirmed to the Herald that he held talks with the Classic Learning Test this week to get more information about the test.
“As you know, the public university system is the largest university system in the country that still requires entrance examinations as part of our admissions process. We currently accept SAT and ACT. Adding another option for our students could be a method of improvement,” Rodriguez told the Herald.
Tate told the Herald that conservatives might prefer the CLT, but he didn’t want the assessment to become ideological.
“We don’t want to be Trumpy or a conservative test,” he said.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to an Insider request for comment.
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