The education department revealed more than a month ago that it had allowed its contract with ACT to expire, handing over the reins to College Board, which would administer the SAT to Kentucky high school juniors.
But associate education commissioner Jennifer Stafford said in mid-July that the decision was on hold over a dispute.
"The department has received a protest against the award of that College Board contract," she explained. "So at this point... all work toward that contract has paused while that process is being completed."
Yet the protest isn't an unusual step in the process of switching testing contracts, she added.
And if the deal moves through, Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said the SAT will offer some new benefits over its predecessor.
"The SAT actually gives you a four-week window to administer the test. So districts could choose when they would like to take the test within that window as opposed to... at a certain time or a certain date," he said.
Students could still opt to take the ACT in addition if they prefer.