The new SAT & other college admission thoughts…
I will start by mentioning that I have no “inside” knowledge of this topic! Over the last few months I’ve read about the task through various sites such as collegeboard.com and spoken about the test with other tutors. I have a few initial thoughts, and a few questions to consider as well.
Whenever there is a change to a test or a curriculum (think common core, next generation, state tests/regents etc.) my first thought is always “don’t panic!” Change is change. We’ve dealt with it before, and we can deal with it now. When something new is implemented everybody is in the same boat, right? Your child, and your friend’s child have both not been exposed to this new version of the SAT. All US students who will be taking the new version of the SAT in March of 2024. I’m not sure if I’m being too optimistic, but I’m hoping that the test will show an accurate representation of who the student is. I hope that we will still be able to get data to show trends and what an average score would be. I’m hoping we can compare to previous years and see how kids do. There is, of course, always the chance that data is skewed as well. For example, maybe our pool of students will be less if students decide to opt out of this version (either by sticking with the ACTs or getting the test done in the fall/winter). Regardless, we’ll be able to gather data, and assess if this test works for our kids.
Here are some details about the test in case you haven’t read about it yet.
-The test will be 100% digital. Our kids having been working in the digital world for a while now. I think they’ll adapt okay to this change. Many schools have been stepping away from traditional text books and using programs like google classroom. They have needed to read and respond to a variety of questions/assignments/activities online already.
-The test will be a little longer than 2 hours (as opposed to 3). This is good! After the 2 hour mark I notice a lot of students lose steam and fade. If we can achieve data/results in less time, why not?
-The test is adaptive; it will provide questions and passages based on how the student is doing. The GRE and and GMAT have been adaptive for years now. I believe that this could make for a more pleasant testing experience for all.
If you have a rising sophomore or junior I’d recommend reading more about the new SAT here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/ .
With all of that being said. I understand that many rising juniors will be trying to either take their SAT in the fall (before the changes) or stick with the ACT. If you and your child decide to make this decision I’m totally for it as well! As long as you have a plan. If you know when your child will be doing their prep, and have an opportunity to take practice tests, and then the actual SAT at least 2 times I don’t see an issue with this plan. Like so many things in life proper preparation can be a solid key to success (but also being able to adapt when things don’t go exactly as planned!).
My biggest questions moving forward is definitely how admissions tests will be used for colleges. We’re already seeing a lot of schools having “test optional” in their applications. I’m still grappling with the idea of this making things more or less fair. I haven’t decided yet! On one hand, a test most certainly does not show us exactly who a student is. Unfortunately, many of the other markers might not either. Grading systems are never uniform and we also never know how much help a student receives on their college essay either. At the end of the day I like to remind my students and their parents that where your child goes to college is a huge decision and will make a great impact on their life, they have potential to be successful in a variety of pathways (this is true for high school as well).
If you have any additional thoughts/comments/questions, I’d love to hear them! My inbox (Leah@robbinsreadylearning.com) is open :)