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

Will changes to the SAT-I improve school curriculum?

There is an old adage in the measurement profession: "What is tested becomes what is taught!" No matter how the SAT-I is altered, there will be strong pressure on teachers to drill their students on the narrow subject matter and formats it covers. One College Board study estimated that at least half of the high schools in the U.S. already offer SAT prep. Such practices increased as the revised SAT-I was phased in.

Test-prep drills come at the expense of more worthwhile learning opportunities. While some have praised the "new" SAT-I as providing an incentive for schools to teach writing skills, it will actually encourage educators to focus on how to write formulaic five-paragraph essays rather than developing students' writing skills more broadly. In addition, almost every state assessment system already includes a writing test, many of which allow students to use more time than the twenty-five minute limit on the SAT-I essay. Therefore, no additional "incentive" is needed in order to encourage teachers to focus on the limited writing skills covered by these assessments.

Why should any college require the SAT-I, old or "new"?

More than 700 accredited, bachelor degree-granting institutions nationwide do not consider SAT-I or ACT scores before making admissions offers to substantial portions of their entering classes (see this list at http://www.fairtest.org/univ/optional.htm). They recognize that there is ample information in applicants' files to make superior admissions decisions without the distortions cause by SAT-I scores.

The "test-score optional" list includes some of the most selective private colleges in the nation, such as Bates, Bowdoin, and Mount Holyoke, as well as large public campuses like the University of Texas at Austin. Rather than accepting the College Board's promotional claims about the "new" SAT-I, colleges and universities should look with a critical eye at both the "new" and "old" exams and follow the lead of "test-score optional" institutions. Already several colleges, including Sarah Lawrence, Holy Cross, and Saint Lawrence University, have made precisely that decision after the "new" SAT was introduced.

MORE INFORMATION: Links to additional fact sheets on the SAT and related topics at:
http://www.fairtest.org/univ/univproblems.htm