You may start hearing more about an alternative to the SAT and ACT as the creators of the CLT plan a major publicity push in Tennessee over the next three months.
CLT stands for the Classic Learning Test, said Noah J. Tyler, chief strategy officer, who spoke to The Tennessee Star off of an education summit in Lebanon Saturday in which he talked about the CLT, which is a good alternative for homeschooled students.
The company of the same name was started in 2015 by Founder and CEO Jeremy Tate.
Tyler said he would love for students and parents and grandparents to talk about students taking the CLT and to talk to school boards. The upcoming test date is Dec. 7. More information is available here.
CLT officials plan to take a road trip around the state in the fourth quarter, and stops will include Bryan College in Dayton, which has embraced the CLT, Tyler said. Tate will speak at Bryan; further details have yet to be announced.
“A rapidly growing educational renewal movement is finding fertile ground in Tennessee,” Tyler said in a statement. “Despite statewide rejection of the Common Core Standards, Tennesseans are quickly discovering the lingering ties to the failed standards within the HOPE Scholarship.
“The HOPE scholarship, which makes college affordable for thousands of Tennessee students, is specifically tied to the SAT and ACT, tests aligned to the Common Core and designed for public school students. For students not publicly educated, these tests are increasingly disconnected from the meat and potatoes of their education; which generally consists of classic literature, traditional math, religion, grammar, and science. The HOPE scholarship currently provides a GPA workaround for many students, but specifically denies homeschooled students the opportunity to put their best foot forward. An alternative is needed and many Tennesseans have found this alternative in the Classic Learning Test (CLT), a rapidly growing alternative to the SAT and ACT.”
The CLT, which is only 4 years old, “is already threatening the educational establishment in the U.S.,” Tyler said. “In an age where education policy ‘experts’ speak in cryptic jargon, CLT is cutting through the fog with a tried and true vision for education. Enthusiasts of the new assessment view CLT as a breath of fresh air and clarity. CLT has found a seat at the epicenter of a nationwide educational renewal movement grounded in timeless stories, classic literature, and common sense mathematics.”
The CLT test was created by Tate, who was a Catholic high school guidance counselor. He was frustrated that students were receiving a classical education with philosophy and ethics that would not help them with the SAT, Tyler said. Then, things became more difficult when SAT retooled the test to align with Common Core. David Coleman, who helped write the Common Core standards, went over to the College Board as chief executive officer, said Tyler, who compared that to pitching the baseball and running behind the plate to catch the ball.
The SAT change concerned parents, so Tate took it upon himself to create a test for the students who were not learning the Common Core standards.
Many of the colleges accepting the CLT results are faith-based and private liberal arts colleges, Tyler said.
The CLT, which is everything the SAT is not, has grown by leaps and bounds since 2015. To see which colleges accept the test results, go to the homepage, click the “Students” tab up top and click “Colleges.” A this time, the Tennessee colleges accepting the test are: Aquinas College; Bryan College; Johnson University; King University; Lipscomb University; Milligan College; New College Franklin; and Union University.
Christopher Newport University in Virginia is the largest public college in the nation that so far has partnered with the CLT, Tyler said.
CLT leaders also are talking with various Tennessee General Assembly legislators to remove barriers for homeschool students who are forced to take the SAT to receive the HOPE Scholarship, Tyler said. The test is available for different grade levels to track student achievements over time.
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
[…] As reported last year, people consider this test, also known as the CLT, an alternative to the SAT and the ACT. People also regard the CLT as a good alternative for homeschooled students. […]
[…] The Tennessee Star reported last year, people consider this test, also known as the CLT, an alternative to the SAT and the ACT. People […]