Friday, November 15, 2013

Will the New SAT Be a Better Barometer for College Readiness?

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-Marlith- via Compfight cc

"For the fifth year in a row, less than 50 percent of high schoolers reached the “college and career ready” SAT Benchmark score of 1550, according to the 2013 SAT Report on College and Career Readiness provided by the College Board. While underrepresented minorities’ scores made small gains, and minority test-takers were at an all-time high, the Board agreed that an overall cause for concern was warranted. “This number has remained virtually unchanged for the past five years,” the report stated, “underscoring a need to dramatically increase the number of K-12 students who acquire the skills and knowledge that research demonstrates are critical to college readiness.”
The report shows a direct link between meeting the Benchmark of 1550 and college completion, showing that 54 percent of students scoring 1550 or above completed college in four years, and 77 percent within six. Conversely, only 24 percent of those scoring below 1550 completed college in four years.
At the same time, newly appointed College Board President (and Common Core designer) David Coleman has promised to re-make the SAT. A recent New York Times article reported him saying that the test should focus on “things that matter more so that the endless hours students put into practicing for the SAT will be work that’s worth doing,” and says “the heart” of the new SAT will be analyzing evidence in a range of subjects, from math to literacy to history."
 

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