College Board to Change SAT to be Closer Aligned with New Standards

ELLEN LI
News Editor

Taken by more than two million students every year and accepted by virtually all colleges and universities in the U.S., the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) has been the most widely used college entrance exam for generations of students. The SAT, created and administered by College Board, tests reading, writing and math skills.
However, last month, College Board announced that it is planning to redesign the SAT. Changes will be made to the test to more sharply focus on areas that high school graduates need to succeed in college, according to an e-mail from David Coleman, the board’s new president, to the 6,000 board members. He promised in the e-mail that educators would have many opportunities to provide feedback on how to improve the SAT.
“We will develop an assessment that mirrors the work that students will do in college so that they will practice the work they need to do to complete college,” Coleman wrote in the e-mail, according to the Inside Higher Ed website. “An improved SAT will strongly focus on the core knowledge and skills that evidence shows are most important to prepare students for the rigors of college and career.”
The last time the SAT went through an overhaul was in 2005. The major changes at that time included adding a writing portion to the exam and the elimination of analogy questions. Coleman has been critical of the essay, since it does not challenge students to make evidence-based written arguments, which is a necessary skill in college.
While details were not provided as to why College Board is making the changes, how long it will take or the precise nature of the changes, the announcement came with the revelation that more students took the ACT last year than the SAT for the first time.
“I think the main difference [between the SAT and the ACT] is that the ACT tests more subjects and goes more in depth than the SAT on these subjects,” junior Larson Chang said. “I prefer to take the SAT because it’s easier to master, but if I were looking for a more accurate way to test my capabilities, I would prefer to take the ACT.”
The SAT’s region of dominance is in the New England and coastal areas while the ACT is generally favored in the Midwest. Nevertheless, the ACT is now a considered option in all areas of the U.S.
While Coleman did not comment on the ACT’s growing popularity, he maintained that the SAT should be more closely aligned with the new Common Core Standards in order to connect the test to the academic work and rigor expected of students entering higher education. Coleman had previously led efforts to develop the Common Core State Standards, which is supposed to provide a consistent educational standard across the nation.
“While the SAT is the best standardized measure of college and career readiness currently available, the College Board has a responsibility to the millions of students we serve each year to ensure that our programs are continuously evaluated and enhanced, and most importantly respond to the emerging needs of those we serve,” Coleman said in the e-mail.