Posts published on August 3, 2013

New Improved SAT Revealed

By David Coleman, CEO Of College Board

Let me begin by thanking you for all you have contributed already to the ongoing work we kicked off six months ago on revising the SAT®. We’ve been so impressed by the depth of your participation and insight.

I wanted to share with you the article The New York Times has written that in part highlights our goals and the early work we have done. As you will see, this is a terrific article on the SAT. In my mind, the most important sentence in the article is this: “College Board members need to be consulted on every element of the redesign.” We are delighted that this point was made clearly, and we are committed to that principle.

The listening tour in which we have been engaged in since the spring, and which will continue throughout the redesign process, has been invaluable in better understanding how the SAT can be a more valuable tool in the admission process and in preparing students for college in a meaningful way. We have engaged with admission and financial aid officers, faculty, counselors, and administrators. We have heard that the predictive value of the test is paramount, and that practice for the test should focus on work worth doing rather than on mastering test-taking strategies. I was particularly pleased that the article points to the College Board’s special commitment to help low-income students see broader college possibilities, which is another theme that has emerged strongly in our conversations about the SAT redesign. We look forward to additional member input as the redesign process continues.

With your contributions, we believe the next generation of the SAT will be a substantial victory for students, K-12 and higher education.

Sincerely,

David Coleman

David Coleman
President and CEO
The College Board