Look, let’s call it like it is:
The College Board is making the iconic SAT exam easier, because its
rival—the ACT exam—has become more popular.
The College Board made a splash a few days ago when it announced that
the formidable essay requirement in the SAT battery will become optional (the
ACT essay section is optional). The new “perfect” score for the SATs will
revert to 1,600, as it was before the 2005 re-do.
In recent years the popularity of the ACT test has eclipsed usage of the
SAT. The College Board forgot to mention that factor in explaining the rationale for the revisions.
Perhaps the most telling element of the change is this: the new SAT,
which will debut in 2016, will not impose any penalty for wrong answers. The
current test format notoriously zaps students for wrong answers—officially, to discourage
guessing. I guess guessing will be, well, sort of tolerated in the new version.
That doesn’t really sound like an improvement to me.
And here’s another thing: the
vocabulary used in the SAT is going to be revised to reflect more relevant
words that “students will use throughout their
lives — in high school, college, and beyond.” For instance, words like “prevaricator”
and “sagacious” will be eliminated, and words like “empirical” and “synthesis”
will be added. You make your own guess about whether the SAT vocabulary is changing
to be easier or harder….
Personally, I’m a fan of “prevaricator,”
I certainly think that word has a rightful place in today’s public discourse.
“Sagacious” has always been
close to my heart, too….
I took the SAT in 1963. Sure
would be interesting to read through that 1963 test booklet, side-by-side with
the new version.
Just sayin’….
No comments:
Post a Comment