CONVERSE, Texas – An error and miscommunication between a local school district and the College Board has left students and their families not knowing their SAT test scores.
In early November, around 300 seniors at Judson High School were still missing their SAT test results even know they had taken the test weeks before.
Jeanneane Arnell's daughter, a senior at Judson, needs to apply for an Air Force scholarship by Jan. 12. An SAT score is mandatory for that application.
She took the test on Oct. 11 and became worried when she couldn't find results two weeks later.
"They said, 'Well maybe give it another week. The results are still coming in.'" Arnell said. "Every week we were doing it (but) nothing was there."
On Thursday, Judson Independent School District told KSAT the SAT test registration is usually electronic, but this year the College Board mandated that students register manually, since all schools don't have access to computer labs.
Students were asked to give their Judson email addresses, which are linked to all their information, but many gave personal email addresses instead.
During registration, a counselor or teacher is supposed to make sure the students are filling out the forms correctly.
"We probably could have done a better job to make sure the right information was being put in there. We are checking that needs to be revisited," Judson ISD spokesperson Steve Linscomb said.
When Arnell got a hold of a Judson counselor, she was told the SAT results were in, but couldn't be matched to specific students because of missing personal information.
Arnell and other parents never got a notification.
"I would have felt better with a phone call saying, 'Hey we're working on getting the result situation solved,' but nothing," she said.
Linscomb said there was miscommunication between Judson and the College Board about how parents are going to be notified of the problem.
In an email to the district on Nov. 16, the College Board said it would notify students of the mishap. Since that point, Linscomb said Judson believed the College Board would be telling families.
On Wednesday, Arnell stayed on the phone with the College Board for hours until they were able to track down her daughter's results.
"I was determined not giving up because I needed those results, but if there's a parent that doesn't have the time to do it, they might miss important deadlines," she said.
The school district said it's working with the College Board and has already matched most test results through voucher numbers given to students before the test. They hope to have the rest matched soon.
Linscomb noted that many other districts are having the same issue. A document from the College Board shows this is such a big problem, the organization is notifying colleges and universities, asking them not to penalize students for being late in turning in test results.