My son is graduating in 2021 and all of his target colleges are going test optional. He was going to take the SAT to hopefully help with Merit awards. He has not taken the SAT and it is doubtful that it will be offered in New York. It does not appear that school will be fully open on LI. School districts are talking about a mix of online and possibly in school. I doubt the SAT will be administered unless it is online.
Do you think not taking the SAT will lessen your merit award? I know most are in the same predicament.
If the merit award is down to two identical candidates and one had a SAT/ACT to back up incredible grades and the other did not, who should get that merit award? Personally, I would lean to trying to get the SAT in somehow.
There will be a lot of high school seniors in the same situation…planned to take the SAT in the spring with a possible retake in the fall of their senior year.
If there really are no SAT options, I would hope that the colleges would make adjustments.
While there are many schools that will be test optional for admissions, you must check with the individual school regarding merit awards. Each school will tell you their specific policy regarding the eligibility requirements for merit money. There are schools that are moving from a merit model to a merit in need or need based financial aid (read the financial aid/scholarship pages carefully as things are constantly changing)
Your son’s situation is not unusual or unique as there are going to be plenty students who will need to take the SAT within the next few months. In NYC, with the exception of D75 students, no one is going to school full time; it will either be blended learning or 100% remote.
If money if a factor, then you have to really make sure that your child has some financially feasible options on the list. This may mean exploring options in the SUNy system, including STEM scholarships (covers tuition, student must be in the top 10% of the class, committed to working STEM in NYS 5 years post grad).