![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
College Board discontinues SAT Subject Tests, optional SAT Essay to streamline pandemic services
A stack of SAT-prep books. The College Board announced that administration of SAT Subject Tests and the optional SAT Essay would be eliminated on Tuesday.
January 20, 2021
The College Board announced yesterday that they will eliminate SAT Subject Tests and the optional essay component of the SAT and investing in creating a flexible, online version of the regular SAT examination.
“The pandemic accelerated a process already underway at the College Board to reduce and simplify demands on students,” the announcement stated. “We’re working to provide as many opportunities as possible for students in the class of 2022 to take the SAT this year, including by…allocating seats that would have gone to students taking Subject Tests to students who want to take the SAT.”
Subject test administration in the U.S. will be discontinued immediately, with all registered students automatically receiving refunds. The SAT-with-essay will continue to be offered until June 2021, although students can cancel existing signups for the essay portion for no additional charge.
Several in-person standardized testing dates have been canceled since March because of coronavirus restrictions. In response, most colleges moved toward either only optionally considering SAT/ACT scores or not considering them at all, occasionally deciding to preserve these changes beyond the pandemic. Notably, the UCs were ordered to go test-blind by an Alameda judge in September 2020.
“Colleges already have an abundance of information to help them get a clear picture of applicants, even beyond standardized testing,” upper school college counselor Andrew Quinn said. “And frankly, in my opinion, despite students’ enthusiasm for them, the SAT Subject tests have really been of decreasing importance in the process for some time now.”
For some Harker students, the announcement was met with relief as they already struggled with numerous cancellations to the regular SAT, often driving for hours to find available testing sites.
“I think my test canceled three times before I was finally able to get a slot that was two hours away, so I had to drive there,” said Melody Luo (11), who took the regular SAT with the optional essay section in December in Woodland, CA. “[That] meant that the test was, in general, pretty inaccessible to people who didn’t have such a socioeconomic background.”
In the announcement, the College Board suggested Advanced Placement (AP) tests as an alternative to SAT Subject tests, touting the AP Program’s “expanded reach” and “widespread availability for low-income students and students of color.” AP examinations cost $95 in the United States, with a $33 fee reduction; SAT Subject Tests are much cheaper, costing $26 with a full fee waiver available to eligible students.
Quinn does not believe that the lack of subject tests will lead to an uptick in AP testing at Harker, citing the intensive nature of a three-hour AP examination compared to the relative ease of an hour-long subject test.
“An AP class, which demands so much from students over an entire school year or semester, is very different from a one-hour test,” Quinn said. “Focusing too much on taking APs during high school is a common trap students fall into. The real value in an AP course is the depth of learning students can experience, and not the AP test score.”
Junior Aimee Wang echoed Quinn’s assessment, agreeing with the decision to focus on regular SAT administration.
“A lot of subject tests are pretty repetitive with regards to AP tests, and it didn’t make much sense to have to take two standardized tests on the same subject to submit to colleges,” Aimee said.
The College Board plans to announce further information about regular SAT testing in the spring as they develop a “more flexible” version of the SAT and aim to add testing dates in the fall.
