A BIG announcement from the College Board was released this week about upcoming changes to the SAT. This is a progressive move as the redesigned SAT(to be administered in Spring of 2016) will be focused more specifically on the knowledge and skills that demonstrate college readiness. With these changes, the College Board is also acknowledging the historical inequities in access to test preparation across cultures and will move to providing free test preparation materials and college application fee waivers for income-eligible students.
For more information from the College Board about the changes, visit www.deliveringopportunity.org.
The New York Times reports on this recent College Board decision with some interesting insights. Check out the NY Times Article here.
Initially created as an instrument to provide a standardized measurement of college readiness, the SAT has morphed into something larger and more powerful. As students prepare for college admission, SAT takes on a lot of weight in the minds of students and parents. These sweeping changes in the SAT are good reminders to slow down and take stock of what the SAT is really all about and what purpose it serves. The College Board is acknowledging, in their way, that the system needs to change. As faculty, parents and students, this is a good reminder that we may need to change the way we approach tests such as the SAT. Perhaps our focus can shift from test preparation and repeated attempts at the test for a few added points to focus on learning for learning's sake. This requires a great deal of courage and confidence.
More and more colleges and universities are demonstrating such courage by acknowledging that the SAT is not the most accurate predictor of college readiness and that one Saturday morning in a 16 year-old's life should not make or break where they are admitted to college. This is evidenced by the growing list of American colleges and universities that are opting out of using SAT scores as a factor in their admissions process and going to a holistic review process; for this list, visit FAIRTEST.
For more information from the College Board about the changes, visit www.deliveringopportunity.org.
The New York Times reports on this recent College Board decision with some interesting insights. Check out the NY Times Article here.
Initially created as an instrument to provide a standardized measurement of college readiness, the SAT has morphed into something larger and more powerful. As students prepare for college admission, SAT takes on a lot of weight in the minds of students and parents. These sweeping changes in the SAT are good reminders to slow down and take stock of what the SAT is really all about and what purpose it serves. The College Board is acknowledging, in their way, that the system needs to change. As faculty, parents and students, this is a good reminder that we may need to change the way we approach tests such as the SAT. Perhaps our focus can shift from test preparation and repeated attempts at the test for a few added points to focus on learning for learning's sake. This requires a great deal of courage and confidence.
More and more colleges and universities are demonstrating such courage by acknowledging that the SAT is not the most accurate predictor of college readiness and that one Saturday morning in a 16 year-old's life should not make or break where they are admitted to college. This is evidenced by the growing list of American colleges and universities that are opting out of using SAT scores as a factor in their admissions process and going to a holistic review process; for this list, visit FAIRTEST.