The CLT versus the ACT and SAT
Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Jill Schwitzgebel
There’s a good chance that you’ve never even heard of the CLT, especially if you don’t live in Florida. The acronym CLT stands for “Classic Learning Test” and it is now being promoted by some as an alternative to the SAT or ACT. Until recently, it has primarily been given to home-schooled students or students at religiously-affiliated high schools,
CLT Content
As the name suggests, the CLT is based on a classical learning model, and focuses on works by authors like Shakespeare or Aristotle, as well as Biblical content. It was founded back in 2015. Jeremy Tate is the founder of the test and believes that by testing logical reasoning and lessons from history, the exam can indicate college readiness. He views it as an alternative to the ACT or SAT that doesn’t rely on current trends in society. Tate has said that the texts that influenced America’s founding generation “still need to have pre-eminence in education today.” The CLT’s board of advisors includes some well-known conservative activists affiliated with religious colleges.
The test is given online, is not as long as the ACT or SAT and is divided into three sections – verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and grammar and writing, with an optional essay portion.
The CLT does not include any math concepts that require a calculator and includes no statistics.
How Does the CLT compare to the ACT and SAT?
So, how does the CLT compare to the ACT and SAT? I’ll begin by pointing out that all college entrance exams still are being highly debated among (and within) colleges. And, many colleges have become test-optional because they say college entrance exam scores are not the best indicators of college success.
The CLT released a report that they claim shows that their test standards are equivalent to those of the SAT. I am not going to link to it, as several experts have criticized it, saying that it does not meet the standards to be an acceptable concordance. The College Board was never made aware of the study taking place and did not participate in the concordance, pointing out several problems with the methodology used.
The CLT has not published any information showing how it aligns with high school standards. The College Board reports that after reviewing the CLT, they discovered that a quarter of the math questions on the CLT are below high school grade level. And, they said “CLT has not published evidence of validity or predictiveness of college performance.” Obviously, the College Board has financial reason for critiquing the CLT. However, college entrance exam critic Akil Bello was even more harsh and says, “Any serious consideration of CLT puts a black eye on higher ed as a whole.” And, Andrew Ho, an education professor at Harvard University and vice president of the National Council on Measurement in Education said, “They don’t currently have sufficient evidence to support high-stakes college admissions decisions.”
The ACT has said that they don’t know how the tests compare as no formal study has been conducted.
There currently are not many resources out to prep to take the CLT and fee waivers are only considered on a case-by-case basis. The CLT is typically remotely proctored for students at home, on certain dates. Students then receive their scores the Tuesday after taking the exam. Scores can be sent free of charge to an unlimited number of colleges.
Conclusion
Florida is currently the only system to accept the CLT for college admission. They are also one of only three state university systems that still requires any test scores for admission, at this time. Other states are likely watching Florida to see how the CLT experiment goes prior to using it as an admission benchmark of any kind.
While I often fall on the side of “it depends” when it comes to tests in general, my recommendation on the CLT is clear: If a student is planning to take a college entrance exam, I recommend choosing either the SAT or the ACT at this time. The only exception to that is if a student is certain they are only planning to attend one of the faith-based colleges that has used the CLT in recent years. Even for students definitely planning to attend a public university in Florida, I am opposed to it – without data backing up the educational outcomes of students who took the CLT vs those who took the ACT or SAT, colleges may be cautious in how they interpret CLT results for admission. As always, students should consider seeking guidance from school counselors before making a decision.
