The College Board announced there will be major changes to the Scholastic Aptitude Test, known as the SAT, in the coming years.
It used to be students paid $68, woke up early and went to school on their day off to be spread in equally distanced rows, in a large space to engage in a ritualistic rite of passage consisting of scantrons, No. 2 pencils, group suffering, and anxiety.
This is no more! The College Board plans to have the SAT be completely digital by the year 2024. Covid-19 has changed the way standardized testing is conducted. In addition, the SAT will be shorter – two hours instead of three hours, and adaptive testing.
Adaptive testing means the questions given to the student next change based on previous answers. No one has the same question set. This also means more time per question.
“I remember going to do it and it was one of the most stressful moments of my life,” recalls student Gavin Gremel. “This sets my college expectations. This sets the precedent of everything. Getting rid of it overall is better.”
Adaptive testing means the questions given to the student next change based on previous answers. No one has the same question set. This also means more time per question.
How would the transition to fully digital impact low income students or students of color who perhaps don’t have the equipment readily available to take the test from home or online?
In October 2021, a study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that nationwide, 18 percent of all Americans and 22 percent of African Americans lack internet in homes. The College Board recently announced they would give out loaner computers to those who need them on the day of the test.
In that same press release from Jan. 25, The College Board stated, “when viewed within the context of where a student lives and learns, test scores can confirm a student’s grades or demonstrate their strengths beyond what their high school grades may show. In the class of 2020, nearly 1.7 million U.S. students had SAT scores that confirmed or exceeded their high school GPA.”
Critics of the SATs believe wealthy students have an unfair advantage with access to special tutors, workshops, and preparatory classes.
“If you take it away or not, the discrimination could still be there,” said student Andrew Lewis. “I do think it is a little better. SATs are a one time thing, and it’s hard for someone to come and judge you on that one test.”
Many colleges are getting rid of SAT score requirements entirely. By 2025, the University of California schools will have permanently eliminated SAT/ACT testing requirements. However, the SAT is an optional test. Does it make a difference to get rid of it?
“I would be more inclined to go to a school that got rid of the SAT,” said Gremel. “As someone on the spectrum and who doesn’t normally do well in school, I feel like I’d have to meet that expectation. Lowering it makes it feel more inclusive for people who may not be able to afford it or other special needs students. For a school to say, ‘We’re not focusing on that’, it’s nice. It feels more welcoming.”
Some students reacted to the changes positively, but still have concerns that eliminating the SATs altogether is risky.
“I could see a hierarchy appearing in colleges,” said Lewis. “Colleges that ask for SATS could be seen as more prestigious.”
The potential feeling of being looked down upon by students who took the old version of the test is something current students are acutely aware of.
“I feel like people who took the SATs in previous years are going to look at us and think ‘you guys had it so much easier’,” said Middle College High School student Kiara Flores.