The "New" SAT: A Better Test or Just a Marketing Ploy? (continued)

Will changing the SAT-I level the playing field for students from diverse backgrounds?

College Board research demonstrates that the SAT-I systematically under-estimates the academic potential of young women, students whose first language is not English, and applicants over 25. This is unlikely to change with the "new" SAT-I. The underlying causes of the score gaps - including the test's multiple-choice format, highly-speeded pace, and rewards for strategic guessing - remain in place. The gender gap may be reduced with the addition of the essay question, since females tend to score slightly higher than males on the SAT II: Writing Test, but will probably not be completely eliminated.

However, the score gap for students from non-English backgrounds will likely grow larger due to the added challenge from the high pressure, timed conditions of the essay question. On the SAT II: Writing Test, African American and Latino test-takers scored on average 80-100 points lower than White students. In fact, the SAT II: Writing Test had one of the largest Black-White test score gaps among the twelve most popular SAT II tests, second only to the SAT II: Literature Test. These gaps will likely carry over to the "new" SAT-I, given its similarity in form and content. Moreover, the College Board has made no indication it will act to stop test score misuses, such as minimum score cut-offs, that have a particularly harmful impact on the opportunities available to African-Americans, Latinos, low-income students, and students with special needs.

Is the "new" SAT-I any less susceptible to coaching?

While there is still debate over how much test prep can boost students' scores, the College Board has backed away from its historic claim that the SAT-I is not "coachable" and now sells its own test preparation materials. Regardless of how much coaching can increase SAT results on average, it can substantially enhance some students' scores, thus further tilting the college admissions playing field.

The coaching industry experienced a huge surge in business from the introduction of the "new" SAT-I. Firms such as Kaplan and the Princeton Review know that any change in the admissions process feeds student anxiety. They say the "new" SAT-I is just as "coachable" as the old test, if not more so. One major test preparation company touted its success in training test-takers to raise their scores on the SAT II: Writing Test as evidence that the mandatory writing section on the SAT-I increases the exam's coachability. The ability of test preparation to boost students' scores skews the college application process in favor of students from higher-income families that can afford the $800 or more that an intensive course costs.

How is the new SAT-I essay section scored?

A proposed SAT-I essay section was scrapped in the early 1990's because of potential logistical problems in grading it and grave equity questions. These concerns have yet to be resolved.

Each essay is read in less than three minutes and rated on a "holistic" 1-6 scale by two readers. If the readers' scores differ by more than 2 points, a third person reviews the essay to resolve the discrepancy. Readers are supposed to evaluate writing skills using a vague set of criteria including such factors such as variety in sentence structure and range of vocabulary. This means test-takers can earn high marks for long-winded, complicated sentences with plenty of "10-cent" words just as easily as they can for concise, interesting writing. The criteria also include measures such as "effectively and insightfully" responding to the writing prompt with "well organized and fully developed" arguments. While these goals may seem to be worthwhile writing skills, they open the exam up to subjective judgments from essay readers.