College Board expands SAT I test with writing section, more complex math
By Robert Salonga
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
rsalonga@media.ucla.edu
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.
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.
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