This week the College Board released a small preview of the new SAT, scheduled to be released to college-bound high school students in the spring of 2016. This means that Will’s 2017 high school class will be the first major group of guinea pigs if most of his classmates take it in the spring of their junior year.
It is human nature to dislike change, and all across the world, worried parents and students are wringing their hands at what this new incarnation of the test will mean. Frankly, we’ve already been there, done that, since the last major SAT change happened in 2005, when Katie, like Will, also was a freshman in high school. That change took the SAT from 1600 points to 2400 points; this change will bring it back down to 1600.
Initially, I was upset by the news that the writing portion would be eliminated. Of course, as a lifelong writer and a writer by trade, I have pounded the importance of good writing into all three of the kids and they are, as they say, better than the average bear when it comes to that skill. Still, if I am truly honest, I would say that I’ve always been more than a little troubled by the subjective nature of the grading. How well you score might depend on who gets your test, and maybe what kind of mood they are in that day depending on how much sleep they got or if they missed their morning cup of coffee. The beauty — or downfall, depending on your point of view — of the other two parts of the exam is that they are assessed objectively.
The current SAT rewards those who memorize vocabulary words like obsequious, perfunctory, and prevaricator. Don’t get me wrong — I love great words and I enjoy searching for the absolute right word with all the beauty of its history and nuance. But there also are words that are pretty much worthless because they are so obscure as to be almost irrelevant, and I’m also impatient with the boors who throw them around simply to show off.
The new SAT aims to test students’ knowledge of high-use, high-functioning words in the context of real life. And to this, I say hallelujah! I feel there are many children in the world today — and mine are no exception — who are steeped in intellectual knowledge and can achieve so much in the classroom. But throw them into some real life situations where their practical skills must be called into play and they can freeze like a bunny in the headlights.
On the radio this morning I heard an excerpt from a 1974 speech by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas from President Richard Nixon’s impeachment hearings. I understand that a reading sample on the new SAT will ask students to describe Jordan’s position and her main points. I am always trying to get my kids to watch the State of the Union Address or special reports on breaking global news. Now they might have a little more incentive to listen to me.
Another sample question apparently asks students to convert dollars to rupees for an American traveling in India. This is a practical, real-world skill that is so critical in today’s global society. Whether it’s Indian rupees, Korean won, Chinese renminbi, or the Euro, kids need to have the ability to do a quick calculation in their heads on the spot if they want to make sure they are not getting ripped off in a marketplace or being overcharged for their dinner.
For example, for almost the entire duration of Molly’s stay in Paris this year, the Euro to dollar has been running at a 1 to 1.4 ratio. That means you would have to pay about $1.40 US for something that costs 1 Euro. It’s a little bit tricky, but if you think that the beret you must have is 20 Euros; what a great bargain, you have to apply mental math (I’ve always loved that phrase since the kids learned it when they were little) and know that it is really going to cost you about 28 US dollars. I don’t mean to drive this point home too forcefully, but let’s just say it’s been a very expensive junior year abroad. Sigh.
Another question apparently tests students and their ability to read, understand, and analyze a political survey well enough to answer questions. Can I say this is something all Americans need to do better on and care about, since an informed citizenry is the great protector of democracy?
When all is said and done, however, as a parent, I have to confess that I’m still not sure whether these changes will be good for my own kid. Should he take the SAT early, say sophomore year, before the new version kicks in, since he’s a pretty good writer, and take his chances there? Or should he wait until junior year to be the true guinea pig, and not worry about possible kinks in the new system?
As a freshman, with most of his high school career ahead of him, I’d say that for now, he has bigger fish to fry. But don’t think that it isn’t on his mind . . . and mine, which means that even if they are not talking about it, you can bet that college-bound students and parents all over the world are thinking about it too.
