Last spring College Board President David Coleman announced there would be a major overhaul on the upcoming 2016 SAT. The company acknowledged the criticism they have faced in the past about the disconnect between what high school students are taught and what is on the SAT exam. Coleman stated, "No longer will the SAT stand apart from the work of teachers in their classrooms." Whether this declaration will be accurate is yet to be seen. My assumption is the SAT is trying to be more like the ACT in hopes to stay competitive, since the ACT has recently surpassed the SAT as the most widely taken college entrance exam.
College Board has recently released examples of the redesigned questions; from this we can gain some insight into the redesigned exam. Also, the College Board will supposedly release new, full-length practice tests on June 30th, 2015. This will allow high school sophomores to begin their preparation for the next SAT, since they will be the first to see the new changes. There are 7 major known changes on the new SAT exam:
1. Common Core
The redesigned SAT will be more aligned with Common Core curriculum standards. Common Core standards have been adopted in 43 states and the District of Columbia. These standards provide a consistent framework for educators across the country to allow all students to have the same education. The Common Core standards were developed to help students succeed in college, career, and life no matter where they live. The new SAT will draw on the principle learning practices of the Common Core Standard in hopes that the exam will be more adept at measuring what students actually learn in the classroom.
2. The Essay
The SAT essay, which now counts for 30% of a student's SAT writing score, will become optional with the new SAT. Some colleges and school districts will require the essay to be completed, but overall it is not mandatory. The formatting of the essay will also be different. Students will now have to analyze a passage and explain how the author builds an argument to persuade the audience. This is different from the current SAT essay that requires the student to make their on argument about a topic.
3. Vocabulary
SAT has long been known for its use of obscure vocabulary words, which required students to spend countless hours studying flashcards of vocabulary words. The new SAT will focus on more relevant words. Students will not have to memorize vocabulary, but will instead need to interpret words based on context in a passage. For example, the word "intense" could be used to describe a person's emotions, but it could also be used to describe something that is concentrated; students will have to use context clues from the passage given to decide which definition is suited in that context.
4. Evidence
The current SAT has students select from multiple choice answer keys to demonstrate their understanding of the reading texts. With the new SAT, students will also be asked to support their answers by citing specific examples in the reading passages.
5. Math
The new math sections will focus on fewer topics that students will need to know more in-depth. There will be fewer geometry and trigonometry questions and more Algebra and Advanced Math problems. There will also be more Problem Solving and Data Analysis problems; students will need to use math to solve problems in Science, Social Sciences, and Career contexts. There will also be Math sections of the new SAT that will not allow calculators.
6. No Wrong Answer Penalties
The current SAT deducts 1/4 of a point for every wrong answer. This has encouraged students to skip harder questions on the SAT in order to not be penalized. The new SAT will no longer deduct points from wrong answers. This change will encourage students to give their best attempt on every problem.
7. Smaller Scores
The current SAT has scores out of 2400, 800 for each of the three sections: Math, Critical Reading, and Writing. The new SAT will have scores out of 1600, based on 800-point Math and Reading/Writing sections with the essay being optional.
We will have all of the new information available to you as it becomes available to us. As always, we are here to help you get to your ideal college, and we will provide you with all of the best support to help you maximize your SAT and ACT scores, complete college applications, financial aid applications, and the like, to ensure that you achieve your academic goals.
