THINK
TANK An Occasional Series
New Classic College Test Challenges
‘Woke’ SATs With emphasis on traditional values, it aims to transform K-12 education.
by vince bielski
THE ISSUE: THE SAT COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM, TAKEN BY 1.7 MILLION STUDENTS LAST YEAR, IS UNDER FIRE FOR BEING WOKE AND LACKING EDUCATIONAL VALUE.
N
ow, an upstart admission exam with traditional val- ues is gaining popularity nationwide — the Classic
Learning Test. The CLT is called classic because
it measures grammatical, mathemati- cal, and reading skills and uses “clas- sic” literature and historical texts. In some states like Florida, it is challenging the SAT-ACT duopoly for college entry. The CLT uses classic literature
and includes different viewpoints on science, history, philosophy, and reli- gion, to name a few. The test does not censor words or
ideas, and it includes passages from classical authors like Aristotle, Plato, and Shakespeare in their entirety. But the CLT is facing stiff resis-
tance from the College Board, the powerful group behind the SATs. The Board, a nonprofit with $1
38 NEWSMAX | MAY 2025
billion in annual revenue, is fight- ing state by state to block the CLT, a company with only about $10 million in revenue. It’s an important battle that reflects
the profound forces trying to trans- form K-12 education. A growing number of Americans
are seeking alternatives to traditional public education with its poor test scores, progressive curriculums, and woke teachers. They are turning to charter, private, and home schools, which are expanding to meet the demand. For decades, the College Board’s
SAT and its chief rival, American Col- lege Testing (ACT), which was bought last year by a private equity firm, have dominated college admis- sions market. They have extraordinary
influence on education. High-performing schools display their students’ SAT and ACT scores online as a badge of honor. But CLT founder Jeremy
Tate believes those tests have played a role in mak-
TATE
ing education overly utilitarian and job-focused. It has lost its soul, leaving students
bored and uninspired with learning, says Tate, a former public school- teacher in New York City. Tate is not surprised that public education is afflicted with sky-high absenteeism and record-low achieve- ment.
THE SOLUTION: RESTORING “THE WONDER” IN LEARNING.
centerpiece of classical instruction. Science, math, and technology are important, too, but as pieces within the broader classical approach. Educators of all political stripes,
T
from conservative Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn to progressive philosophy professor Cornel West, were the early adopters of the CLT because of its emphasis on classical works, and the test has recently spread into traditional public schools, serving at times as a catalyst for change. In 2014, Tate developed
the CLT, a two-hour ver- bal, grammar, and quanti- tative exam.
ate believes the great books of Western civilization and a focus on big questions of virtue and justice form the
BOOKS/SNEHIT PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
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