Students in the greater Portland area have endured multiple and sudden test center closures in 2024. These closures limit our kids’ opportunities with college admission, athletic recruitment, and financial assistance.

We have a solution at hand: we need our schools to open their facilities so that our hard-working kids may take their tests.

The testing authorities (College Board, ACT) rely on local schools’ willingness to administer tests. We need to encourage our schools to do so—urgently. Please copy, edit, and send to your school’s principal and administration. 

I am the [parent of a/college bound student] at [school name]. As you may be aware, many colleges have resumed using standardized test scores for admissions decisions, scholarship and merit aid calculations, and athletic recruitment. 

[I/My student] wants options to take college admission tests. Seats at testing centers in Portland, however, have become increasingly scarce. In 2024, several Portland area schools hosting a test canceled that test with little to no notice, leaving hundreds of concerned students to scramble for alternate testing options. 

The lack of reliable testing opportunities throughout our area adversely affects many students and families. It unnecessarily fuels anxiety, creates risk for students who need college admissions credentials, diminishes the opportunity for students to earn scholarships and merit aid, and privileges wealthy students who can travel to distant test sites. 

As a community, we should support our children’s educational goals in both words and deeds. Please stand up for our students by offering our school as a test site and contact the College Board or ACT now to arrange this.