Updates and Free Resources for Equitas Alumni During COVID-19 School Closures
UPDATE: 5/22/2020: University of California (UC) Suspends ACT/SAT for all California freshman applicants until fall 2024
- The University of California (UC) on May 21st unanimously approved the suspension of the standardized test requirement (ACT/SAT) for all California freshman applicants until fall 2024.
- Test optional for Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 - University campuses will have the option to use ACT/SAT test scores in the admissions process if applicants choose to submit them.
- Test-blind for Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 - University campuses will not consider test scores in the admissions process. Test scores could still be considered for other purposes such as course placement and certain scholarships.
- Starting in Summer 2020 and ending in January 2021, UC will identify or create a new test.
- By 2025, any use of the ACT/SAT would be eliminated for California students and a new UC-endorsed test that would measure UC-readiness would be required.
- UC will eliminate the SAT Essay/ACT Writing Test as a requirement for UC undergraduate admissions and these scores will not be used at all effective for Fall 2021 admissions.
- For complete information, visit The University of California's updates page.
UPDATE: 4/29/2020: Additional Updates from College Board Regarding AP Tests and the SAT
- Registration for the SAT will open the week of May 26th.
- Students can register for the following test dates:
- August 29th
- September 26th
- October 3rd
- November 7th
- December 5th
- For complete information, visit the College Board’s SAT Coronavirus Updates page.
- Exams will be given May 11 - 22.
- Each subject's exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.
- Makeup test dates will be available for each subject June 1 - 5.
- AP tests will be open book format. Check out some tips on preparing for the open-book test format.
- Students will be able to take the AP exams on any electronic device they have access to. They will be able to either type and upload their responses or write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cell phone.
- For complete information, visit the College Board’s AP Test’s Coronavirus Updates page.
UPDATE: 4/20/2020: California State University Suspends ACT/SAT requirement for Fall 2021 Admissions
On Friday April 17th, 2020, California State University of California (CSU) instituted changes to temporarily adjust admissions requirements for students applying for admission as freshman for Fall 2021. These changes include:
- CSU is suspending the standardized test requirement (SAT/ACT) for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission.
- California residents and graduates of California high schools will be eligible for admission by earning a 2.50 or greater average in "A-G" high school courses.
- California high school graduates with a grade average in those classes between 2.00 and 2.49 may be evaluated with extra factors, such as number of courses exceeding minimum requirements, household income and extracurricular involvement.
- For complete information, please read EdSource's article.
UPDATE: 4/7/2020: Additional Updates for High School Students
On March 31st, 2020, the University of California (UC) instituted changes to temporarily adjust admissions requirements for students applying for admission as freshman for Fall 2021. These changes include:
- UC is suspending the standardized test requirement (SAT/ACT) for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission.
- Temporary suspension of the letter grade requirement for all A-G coursework completed in spring and summer 2020, including coursework completed by students currently in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. The Pass or Credit grade in spring and summer 2020 will continue to meet A-G requirements for any student currently enrolled in high school during the 2019-20 academic year.
- Pass (P) or Credit (CR) grades will meet A-G subject requirements but will not be calculated in the GPA. UC will continue to calculate the GPA for admission purposes using all A-G courses passed with letter grades in grades 10 and 11, including summer terms following grades 9, 10 and 11.
- For complete information, visit the University of California's Coronavirus Updates Page.
UPDATE: 3/26/2020: Updates and Free Resources For Equitas Alumni
Academic Resources
SAT College Board Updates
- March 28th and May 2nd test dates are cancelled
- Students will receive refunds for these test cancellations
- College Board will be sharing additional information and details directly with registered students and test centers
- If you are registered to take the SAT during these dates and have not yet received information directly from College Board, you can contact them at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 866-756-7346
- June 6th date has not been cancelled yet
- The College Board will be sharing information soon regarding school-based SAT, PSAT for 8th and 9th graders which is scheduled for this spring.
- To support with studying during the delays:
- Khan Academy offers a free SAT prep resource.
- Equitas alumni have benefits like free access to all materials on Study.com! Request access using our form.
- For complete information, visit the College Board’s SAT Coronavirus Updates page.
AP Tests College Board Updates
- Traditional face-to-face exams will not take place. Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home.
- For each AP subject, students will have the opportunity to choose between 2 different testing dates.
- Any student registered for the exam can choose to cancel at no charge.
- The College Board offers free live AP review videos developed by AP teachers for all topics and skills typically taught during the final weeks of each AP course.
- The courses go live on Wednesday March 25th and will be recorded so they will be available to be viewed anytime afterwards.
- For complete information, visit the College Board’s AP Test’s Coronavirus Updates page.
ACT Updates
- April 4th test date has been rescheduled to June 13th across the U.S. All students registered for the April 4th test date will receive an email from ACT in the next few days providing information and instructions for free rescheduling to June 13th.
- Next available ACT test dates are June 13th and July 18th.
- If students are unable to or don’t wish to take the test on one of the future dates, they will receive a refund for their April registration fee.
- For complete information, visit the ACT’s April 2020 National Exam COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions page.
ScholarMatch
- Free resources for preparing college applications
- Virtual Office Hours every Monday - Thursday from 3-5 pm
- Free college admission advising for US high school juniors and seniors who are the first in their family to attend college
Free Virtual College Visits
Well-Being Resources
Free Meditation - Headspace
- Headspace offers free meditation
Free Yoga - CorePower Yoga
- Free full length videos are available on the website and on the free app
Free WiFi: Xfinity WiFi
- Visit xfinity.com/wifi
- Search for a hotspot near you
- Once you select a hotspot, a browser will launch allowing you use the WiFi
Free in-home internet access: Companies are offering 2 months free of in-home internet access
- To see if you qualify, call:
- Charter and Spectrum: 1 - (844) - 488 - 8395
- Comcast: (855) 846 - 8376 for English speakers
- Comcast: (855) 765 - 6995 for Spanish speakers
- Location: Dream Center (2301 Bellevue Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026)
- Time: Everyday from 7:30 am - 6:30 pm
- The organization also can deliver foods and household items to individuals aged 65+, please contact:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (213) 273 - 7000
- Time: Every Monday - Friday from 7am - 10am
- Some locations nearby the Pico-Union area include:
- Berendo Middle School (1157 S. Berendo St. Los Angeles, CA 90006)
- John Liechty Middle School (650 S. Union Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017)
- Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (701 S. Catalina St. Los Angeles, CA 90005)
- Santee Education Complex (1921 Maple Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011)
UPDATE 3/12/2020: Notice Regarding Coronavirus and Alumni Gatherings
Dear Equitas Alumni community,
Your well-being is very important to us and we are taking measures to ensure we are protecting our Equitas family. In the coming weeks, the Equitas Alumni team was planning on participating in a few events that were open to the public with anticipated large crowds. To help control the spread of illnesses like the flu and COVID-19, and in accordance with public health officials, these events will not take place as planned:
- Our Alumni Service Day participation in Heal the Bay's Venice Beach clean-up is postponed. We hope to offer this beach clean-up opportunity in the future. Alumni who have already registered will receive priority when it is rescheduled.
- The college visit at UC Riverside is postponed. We hope to visit the campus at a later date.
We have also modified our on-site alumni events as follows:
- Our next two monthly Pizza Plus socials for academic and college support on March 17 and April 21 are cancelled. However, as always, we're standing by to support one-on-one so please reach out at [email protected] anytime.
- Mentors and alumni participating in Mentor-Volunteer Program (MVP) who usually check in in-person are encouraged to check in via phone or web for the months of March and April.
Although cancelling and postponing events may be disappointing, we hope that all community members understand that the health and safety of our community is our priority. If you have any additional questions, please reach out via email at [email protected] or text message at (323) 546-6197.
For more information on staying healthy, visit the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health website: English | Spanish
Best,
Mr. Iniguez
Director of High School Prep and Alumni Programs