The College Board admits it totally bombed designing the SATs, so it's overhauling the test
MARIO TAMA/Getty Images
Having decided that its signature college entrance exam, the SAT, is outdated or flawed in many respects, the College Board will:
A) Scrap the exam entirely
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
C) Say in a press release "Yeah, well life is unfair, too"
D) Announce sweeping changes to the SAT
The answer is D.
Yes, on Wednesday the College Board announced it would overhaul the SAT by making the essay portion optional, returning the exam to a 1600-point scale, and ending penalties for guessing incorrectly. Saying the test did not adequately prepare students for college, the company said it would also ditch esoteric "SAT words" and put a greater emphasis on critical thought, asking test-takers to analyze texts from a range of subjects and support their answers with evidence.
The changes come as part of a broader effort by the College Board to modernize the exam and level the playing field by extending more opportunities to low-income students. In addition to changing the test, the College Board will also provide free test preparation and offer fee waivers to some college applicants.
The changes will take effect starting in 2016.
-
Political cartoons for December 21Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include Christmas movies, AI sermons, and more
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
What Nick Fuentes and the Groypers wantThe Explainer White supremacism has a new face in the US: a clean-cut 27-year-old with a vast social media following
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
