SAT changes ahead SAT changes ahead (October 29, 2004)

Less time, on-demand essay expected
by Teresa C. Brown

With changes to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) expected this spring, the school district has begun preparing college-bound students, especially current sophomore students, who plan to take the new test.

The new SAT includes an on-demand writing component, said James Gulek, Pleasanton Unified School District's Director of Assessment, at the school board meeting Tuesday.

The old SAT will be administered through the end of this year and the new test will be offered in spring 2005. While in the transition period, colleges will accept scores from either test, Gulek said.

Other changes to the SAT affect the mathematics section and critical reading, formerly called verbal. In the math section, quantitative comparisons will be eliminated, Gulek said, while algebra II material will be added. Students taking the new SAT will have to have an in-depth knowledge of math skills, he explained to the trustees.

In addition to an on-demand essay writing segment, the SAT verbal section was renamed critical reading. The test will replace analogies with paragraph-length reading.

"It requires more critical reading skills than finding patterns between words," Gulek said.

In each section, the time was reduced by five minutes, allowing testers a total of 70 minutes to complete each of the mathematics and critical reading sections.

"We have been working on communicating information about the new SAT starting last spring," said Sally Dellanini, director of Curriculum and Staff Development.

In addition to working with middle and high school administrators and counselors, the district has provided a summary of the changes to all eighth-grade and high school teachers, Dellanini said, "So everyone is aware of the changes."

Information about the changes was also made available to students and parents during college night, she added.

"I'm really glad the analogies are gone," Trustee Juanita Haugen said. "They were terribly confusing."

"Standardizing the standardized test" was another change Haugen praised. "It is testing (the students) ability and not how they take the test." She explained that some people do not perform well on tests because they are not familiar with the format.

Although teachers will administer on-demand writing assignments to help students prepare for the SAT changes, Gulek told the trustees that students had similar tests last year. "It's not the first time our students will see an on-demand writing test," he said.

More information about the new SAT is available online at www.collegeboard.com.

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