Fire Alarm during 6/7 SAT. Now what?

<p>Some loser, apparently unhappy with how his test was going, pulled the alarm during the fourth section. 500 kids had to evacuate for 35 minutes. My D said that kids were discussing questions and answers even as they were walking down the stairs.</p>

<p>The proctors made them all complete the test. D's proctor told them their scores will most likely be cancelled, but SAT rules said they still had to finish.</p>

<p>So now what happens? Will we be notified if the scores are cancelled? If they're cancelled, do they still send a score report to the student? That would be the only silver lining I can see, because at least you'd know where to prep for the next time.</p>

<p>I'm also assuming the make-up test will be on College Board's dime. Will kids have to wait until the next date in the fall? D is NOT happy about taking this test a third time, and I can't say I blame her. She signed up for May and June so she wouldn't have to take it this fall. :(</p>

<p>Oldest d had lights go out (storm) during an SAT a few years ago. The students did not get to complete the test. D called her school counselor - who then handled the details. Result: make-up SAT two weeks later, obviously no charge.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Thanks, ignatius. Anyone else have a different experience? D goes to a large public school. I know of only a few kids from her HS who made the 45-min trip to this testing center, so I'm wondering if her guidance counselor will make the call to CB. Alternatively, will CB notify D or us via email?</p>

<p>I hope they caught this kid, and that he faces some stiff consequences for inconveniencing 500+ kids.</p>

<p>When it comes to this kind of "prank" (read, sabotage), I say Take No Prisoners. Regardless of the collegeboard outcome, for the mere distress & inconvenience & waste of time, the parents of all the other students should ge together and sue the offender's parents.</p>

<p>Number Two: Something similar happened to my older D during one of her SAT I sittings. But it wasn't a prank. It was the sheer incompetence of the school administrators, who first of all had Attitude Major about coming in on a Saturday (gee, poor things, who were --um-- GETTING PAID to be there), and second of all had no idea what they were doing, and third of all, had zero apology for the faulty fire & other alarms which repeatedly went off during the test. (Did they pause to try to fix the problem? Give the students extra time for the mere distractions? No, of course not.)</p>

<p>Point Number Three: Your story & mine (& many others) showcase the need to take the obligatory (maybe not for long?) test administration out of the exclusive hands of The Collegeboard, filtered through public sites. Deputize whichever schools want it, to function as board surrogates. It is, after all, in the best interest of the school that their own students do well on these tests. The public ones will get paid to administer/proctor, and they can trade proctors among schools within a district if they or CB is worried about undue influence. And the private schools clearly have a similar stake in outcomes.</p>

<p>Not all schools, districts, are on the same calendar -- let alone the privates vs. the publics. Each participating school or cluster could make arrangements to offer these tests throughout the school year, allowing much more flexibility. It doesn't have to be limited to 7 or so sittings per year. It also makes the individual school accountable for things like the state of the facilities (whether they're open/unlocked -- yes, I've seen that: students locked out of a site scheduled to hold a test -- whether the alarms are faulty or not, etc.)</p>

<p>There are public & private schools & districts which could combine In-Service teacher days (weekdays) with SAT test opportunities.</p>

<p>I predict that within 10 years the whole operation will either be nonexistent or will be radically transformed, which is long overdue.</p>

<p>I will add that I called CB several years ago, challenging the absence of summer test opportunities. They had unconvincing excuses about security & personnel. The tests could be offered during existing summer sessions at public colleges, many of whom have serial summer school sessions -- early, mid, & late summer.</p>