By Jamie Bush
The College Board plans to revise its standardized admission test, the SAT, by the year 2015 in order to make the test align with new national standards for students. The changes will affect the vocabulary, essay, and math sections, though the general outline of the test will remain the same.
The College Board plans to ask high school teachers and college professors for input as the SAT is adapted.
David Coleman, president of the College Board, is one of the architects of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), a nationwide initiative designed to unify standards for what students should learn in English and math in each grade. New Jersey is among 45 states that have adopted the CCSS, and schools across the state are re-writing course proficiencies accordingly.
In an interview with The New York Times, Coleman stated that the SAT should align with the CCSS guidelines and also cites the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams as a model for the new, curriculum-based SAT.
Coleman is hoping to get rid of esoteric vocabulary words and replace them with more common words that could potentially expand students’ everyday vocabulary (see infographic).
In addition to the vocabulary section, Coleman would also like to make the essay section similar to the synthesis or document-based essays found on the AP English Language and Compisition and AP United States History exams. In synthesis essays, students are provided a question on a debateable topic and various related sources. The students are asked to argue their opinion on the topic and use the sources to support their argument.
The math section will also be revised to focus more on critical thinking and analyzing evidence or data.
“It shouldn’t just be about picking the right answer. It should be about being able to explain, and see the applications of this math,” said Coleman.
Freshman Keara Farley is hopeful that revisions to the test will make preparation easier. “Making the SAT more related to our school curriculum will help a lot with studying,” said Farley.
The College Board expects to administer the revised test in the spring of 2015, so current freshmen will be the first students to take the new version.
“When I hear the word SAT…I think of all the pressure you’re under to do well on this one exam,” said freshman Grace Lama. “Changing the test to be more like the curriculum in school would be helpful, because we would feel better prepared for it.”
“When I hear the word SAT, I think of a really hard test,” said freshman Grace Lama. “I think of all the pressure you’re under just to do well on this one exam. Changing the test to be more like the curriculum in school will be helpful, because we will feel better prepared for it.”