By Robert Salonga
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
The SAT I, cherished as the gold standard in college admissions
tests, underwent an overhaul last week in an attempt to tie test
material more closely to what students actually learn in high
school.
Gone are the verbal analogies students loathe and found no use
for beyond the test. Added are a new writing section and an
expanded math section that tests students beyond the eighth-grade
levels of the SAT I.
“This is a transforming event in the nature of
education,” said UC President Richard Atkinson.
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Testmakers say the new test ““ slated for first use in
March 2005 ““ will be more relevant to college-bound
students.
“The new SAT I will only improve the test’s current
strengths by placing the highest possible emphasis on the most
important college success skills ““ reading and mathematics,
and, now, writing,” said Gaston Caperton, president of The
College Board.
The revamped SAT was largely in response to pressure from the
University of California, The College Board’s largest
customer. The UC Board of Regents, led by Atkinson, has been
discussing a new admissions test that would examine what students
learned in high school rather than determine an abstract
characteristic such as aptitude.
The College Board has downplayed the influence that UC has had,
asserting that the changes were just another phase in the
evolvement of the 76-year-old test.
Adding a writing component to the test is long overdue, Atkinson
said.
“We have not been asking students to write,” he
said. “We’re just sending a message to all students
that you have to start writing early in your career.”
Additionally, the math section will now include concepts from
Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II.
And in a few years, those who boast a 1,600 score on the SAT I
will no longer sit atop the standardized testing throne ““ the
math, reading, and writing sections will be worth 800 points each,
increasing the total possible score to 2,400.
Yet in the midst of the added features, dropping the analogy
section will undoubtedly be one of the most noticeable changes
made. Atkinson and other academic leaders have deemed the section
to be irrelevant in college preparation.
The section for many years was the basis of claims that the SAT
I was biased against underrepresented populations, including
African American, Latino/a and American Indian students.
“Disadvantaged students did not have familiarity with
various words,” said Chand Viswanathan, chair of the Academic
Council. “This is definitely helping to create a level
playing field.”
Atkinson stressed that even with the changes the SAT I is not
the end-all determining factor for students applying to the UC, and
that it is just one piece of the admissions puzzle.
“There is no perfect test. I don’t want admissions
determined by solely standardized tests,” he said.
The UC has already moved away from relying on only test scores
to determine admissions. In November the Regents passed
comprehensive review, designed to take personal experiences and
life challenges into heavier account alongside academics. It also
ended the UC’s practice of admitting 50-75 percent of
incoming freshmen based only on academics.
Admissions officials at UCLA said it is too soon to tell whether
the changes will have an impact on the weight given to the SAT I
when reviewing applications.
“It’s a little hard to say because they’re
talking generally and we haven’t seen a sample of the
test,” said Tom Lifka, assistant vice chancellor of student
academic services and former interim admissions director.
Others feel the overhaul will ultimately improve admissions.
“We’ll be admitting students who learned subject
matter well,” Viswanathan said.