FYI: CBCCA is considering this as an alternative. I will post here ASAP on the blog if it will be accepted. 

Dear students and families,

We are thrilled to announce that Holy Trinity Classical Christian School will be administering the Classic Learning Test (CLT) on the following Saturdays: December 1, March 2, and May 18. The CLT is a new and a rapidly growing standardized college admissions exam designed to offer a rigorous testing experience better suited to the means and goals of classical education. It presents classic material using an innovative medium: an online exam which provides students with same-day results and eligibility for over $4 million in scholarships.

An April 2018 article from U.S. News and World Report tells the unpleasant truth about the approach that all too many schools have taken to testing:

Across the country, students practice for and take the SAT rather than read books in their entirety, play musical instruments, spend time with friends or family, work, learn foreign languages, write poems or play sports. Because of the test’s high stakes, schools will gear their entire literacy curriculum around preparing for the test.

It is not worth it.

Our commitment to be a part of something different motivates us to serve as a CLT test site. We are convinced that the CLT is a much-needed alternative to Common Core-aligned testing regimes, such as SAT and ACT. The CLT is designed to measure the outcomes of a quality liberal arts education, and not merely test-taking skills. Presented with primary documents by the giants of our literary tradition—that is, works of real intellectual and moral substance—and challenges them to think critically about the structure of the argument presented by the passage, as well as the stylistic and rhetorical decisions made by the author. It is an exam designed to measure the outcomes of character education, and not merely test-taking skills.

The CLT is a serious contribution to the alternative schooling movement, and colleges are taking notice. In the three years since the test was first offered, over 120 colleges and universities have voiced their support for the CLT and formally adopted the exam as an alternative to the SAT and ACT in the admissions process. In 2016, following a thorough audit, Hillsdale College determined the CLT to be “a superior assessment of a student’s aptitude and reasoning ability.” Submitting a CLT score is an excellent way for our children to distinguish themselves as students whose education that upholds Christ in all things.

To sign up for the exam, please create an account at www.cltexam.com and register by the appropriate deadline. Preparatory materials, including The CLT Student Guide, are available at www.cltprep.com.

Jonathan Councell and Josiah Tobin are both teachers at Holy Trinity that will be heading up this new opportunity. They both are willing to offer some prep course sessions on the CLT as well if there is interest. If you would like to register for the test, join a prep course, or have any other questions please send either one an e-mail. 

With excitement,
Jonathan Councell jcouncell.htccs@gmail.com

Josiah Tobin jtobin.htccs@gmail.com

Kind regards, 

 

Josiah Tobin

Athletic Director

Upper School Math Teacher

Cross Country Head Coach

www.htccs.org

“And let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” –Hebrews 12:1-2