The New York Times overstates the problem: "Confusion Is Rampant With Change in the SAT's":
A revised College Board exam, incorporating a writing test and more advanced math, will not make its debut until next spring, but confusion about how to deal with the changes is already rampant. Worry is especially intense among this year's 10th graders, the first class that will confront the new test.
Most colleges seem to be leaning toward allowing that transition group, the graduating class of 2006, to submit scores either from the old SAT or the new SAT, and, if an applicant submits both, to consider the highest one. That flexibility creates a unique problem. Should students prepare to take the old SAT next winter, midway through junior year, or should they concentrate on the new format and wait until the spring, or even the fall of senior year?
It's not rocket science, people. Students should first decide where they want to go, then follow that university's guidelines. The test is also a one-day affair - couldn't students take both, just to be sure? Yes, it would be a pain, but it's easy to find out if a school takes the highest of two SAT scores or the average. Schools may also be downweighting the new SAT regardless, until they have some idea of its predictive validity for their populations. If a student does his or her research, they won't be in the dark about what their school of choice requires.
There's no more confusion "rampant" here than there is when any system changes over.
Posted by kswygert at May 25, 2004 10:43 AM