California is the most populous American state with a veritable cornucopia of exceptional and reasonably well-funded high schools. Why, then, do Californian teens need to travel hundreds–and sometimes thousands–of miles to sit for the SAT or ACT? Amy and Mike invited student Sebastian Gillmore and educator David Blobaum to discuss the need for testing sites in California.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What is the problem with SAT & ACT testing locations in California?

2. Why are testing locations so scarce?

3. Why is access to testing so critically important for students?

4. What has been done so far to address this problem?

5. What else can and should be done to expand testing access in California?

MEET OUR GUEST

David Blobaum is the director of outreach for the National Test Prep Association, which works to support the appropriate use of testing in admissions. He is a co-founder of Summit Prep, which opened its doors in 2013 to help empower students through education to succeed in life.

Sebastian Gillmore is a rising Senior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California just North of San Francisco. He’s a hardworking student with a passion for mathematics, and he’s on a mission to make college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT, more accessible for California high school students. He recently authored an Op-Ed in the LA Times titled, “I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?”

David first appeared on the podcast in episode 79 to discuss Why The SAT And ACT Are Awesome and in episode 421 for a Sponsor Spotlight.

David can be reached at www.summitprep.com.

LINKS

I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?

It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Take the SAT and ACT

https://testaccess.org/

RELATED EPISODES

TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED

WHY UC WAS WRONG TO STOP USING THE SAT

WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS?

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.