11
SAT
CHANGES
-Andrew C.
The standardized test known as the SAT most colleges in the world use for admissions has been around since 1926. The president of the College Board criticized his own test saying, “become disconnected from the work of our high schools.” The ACT has become a better way to reflect the aptitude of young student’s pursuit for a college education. The newest version of the SAT in 2014 consists of three sections. These three sections included math, critical reading, and writing to make up a total of 2400.
The College Board is introducing a rethought-out standard test to realign with the high school curriculum. The SAT has strayed from the regular high school core curriculum and scores are reflecting this. The new SAT will move away from the irregular vocabulary and use words that are more common in college level courses. The writing section of the SAT has been taken away and is now an optional portion of the test. The optional essay geared toward strong writers will be scored separately instead of being included in the regular 2400 scale. With the elimination of the writing potion of the SAT, the new scoring reverts back to the 1600 scoring scale.
The changes for the 2016 SAT are few but are major changes. The exclusion of the writing portion gives strong writers a chance to get some “extra credit” in a way. It also gives minorities who have not been taught formally how to write a good essay a better chance at a good school. The abstraction of the writing portion will bring more people from the ACT back to the SAT. In the math section of the test only one major factor has been changed. The use of a calculator is now prohibited in some parts of the test. The use of unusual vocabulary also lets minorities have a better chance at a better score. The changes made to the 2016 SAT have drastically impacted the future of high school students who may not have a chance to get as good preparation. In addition, it goes more along the curriculum in public high schools. The changes cut down on how monstrous the SAT is for so many students in high school and is thought by most to send more people to better colleges in the future.