WASHINGTON, D.C – Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the Promote Classical Learning Act. The bill requires U.S. military service academies to accept the CLT, the SAT, and the ACT for admissions. It also mandates that federally run secondary schools, including the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Indian Education, administer the CLT to all 11th-grade students.
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) stated, “The Classical Learning Test is the standard for academic excellence, and our service academies should accept nothing less. My bill ensures we recruit the brightest, most well-rounded young Americans to lead and defend our nation.”
Jeremy Wayne Tate, Founder and CEO, the Classical Learning Test said, “Applicants to the United States service academies should have the opportunity to demonstrate their academic aptitude through an admissions assessment grounded in the classical tradition—a tradition that has historically underpinned the intellectual rigor and excellence of these institutions. We are grateful to Senator Banks and his commitment to restoring academic excellence and merit at our nation’s service academies.”
Robert P. George, Professor of Politics, Princeton University, said, “To put the matter simply, the CLT is superior in every way to its competitors. It provides an assessment of knowledge and aptitude, not ideology. Nowhere does this matter more than in our Nation’s service academies.”
Key Provisions of the Promoting Classical Learning Act are:
- Requires the service academies to accept the Classical Learning Test (CLT) as an entrance exam alongside the SAT and ACT, and requires federally-run schools to administer the CLT for 11th-graders
- Provides educational opportunities for more hardworking American students to have more chances at college admissions and the pursuit of higher education
Full bill text can be found here.
Background:
Secretary Hegseth tweeted last week that the service academies would begin accepting the CLT for admission. In the same tweet, Secretary Hegseth referred to the CLT as the “gold standard.”
Read more about the Promoting Classical Learning Act here.
