An alternative to the SAT and ACT college entrance exams that’s been favored by conservatives could be coming as an option in Ohio. A bill to add the Classic Learning Test as a college admissions exam offered by Ohio high schools is under consideration by the Senate, after passing the House earlier this year.
House Bill 326 would allow the CLT to be used along with the SAT and ACT, along with "any other valid, reliable, nationally norm-referenced exam used for college admission". The CLT is similar to the ACT or SAT, but the reading sections of the CLT include works from Christian saints, philosophers and scholars.
Rep. Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) is one of the joint sponsors of the bill, and said the CLT is proven, reliable and valid. He said university systems in Indiana, North Carolina and Georgia have added the CLT as an admissions alternative.
"The CLT is the preferred alternative for the homeschool and private school communities because it aligns with the traditional education education values of logic, reasoning, and moral philosophy," Ritter said on the House floor in February. "That means Ohio institutions will accept this test will have a distinct advantage in recruiting out-of-state students who choose this assessment, allowing Ohio school districts to administer the CLT alongside other standardized assessments for 11th graders."
Democrats were mostly opposed, including Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma), a former high school teacher. He said colleges and universities are largely moving away from standardized tests for admission.
"The tests often reflect the student's access to resources like private tutoring or test prep, which are very expensive, I might add, more than their actual readiness for college," Brennan said. "Why would we codify another standardized test into statute? If anything, we should be moving in the opposite direction toward recognizing that learning, creativity, and potential can't be captured in a few hours in a multiple choice exam."
Brennan added only 12 private colleges in Ohio use the CLT.
All House Republicans and three Democrats voted for the bill. It’s now in the Senate.
The CLT, which was launched by the company Classic Learning Initiatives in 2015, has been taken by half a million students since 2016, according to Education Week. Over 300 colleges and universities accept it, and this year the Pentagon announced U.S. service academies will starting in 2027. Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming have also adopted the CLT as an entrance exam alternative.
