State adopts SAT college entrance exam

Mark Reiter, Online Editor

The state will implement the SAT college entrance exam next year after years of using the ACT test.
Students leery about the state adoption of the SAT should not worry as the District prepares teachers for the new exam. During the Teacher Institute Day on April 29, teachers will have the opportunity to get their first look and listen to a keynote speaker from College Board about the new exam.
“We are starting by giving professional development to our four core areas of teachers about the SAT and the break down of the test,” said Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction Stan Bertoni.
Students can expect a similar approach to test preparations for the SAT as given to previous students for the ACT.
“Teachers will incorporate SAT prep in the core areas,” said Bertoni. “We are also exploring avenues of implementing practice testing in the building.”
The SAT has a multitude of practice test options. Options include the PSAT 8/9, which is targeted at eighth graders and freshman, the PSAT 10, for sophomores, and the PSAT/NMSQT, for juniors. The PSAT 8/9 and the PSAT/NMSQT are both tests for the fall semester and the PSAT 10 is a test administered during the spring semester.
The tests will function like the EXPLORE test did for the ACT.
“The District has been working with us at the high school level to look at options since the beginning of this year for bring in these tests to the school,” said Bertoni.
A huge help to students and teachers will be the access to the already available resources for SAT preparations.
“There is more support out there for the SAT,” said Bertoni. “Khan Academy has paired with SAT, they have instructional videos based on areas that students struggle in to supports students on the SAT.”
The Khan Academy resources can also be used by teachers to help them better prepare themselves for instructing students.
“I have also heard that some departments are talking about taking a practice SAT on the April 29 institute day,” said Bertoni. “Teachers have been looking at ways to better help the students and taking a practice exam is a great way to get the first hand experience.”
The new SAT and the ACT are similar tests with slight differences.
“The English and writing portions seem to be similar in content to the ACT, but math will be a little different and that’s where our focus will be,” said Bertoni. “We want to make sure math teachers know the differences.”
The differences in math stem from a focus in subject area, while the ACT focused on certain math topics, the SAT focuses on another set.
“The one thing I have noticed is that the ACT math was focused on geometry and algebra and their shifting it algebra, advanced algebra, and geometry with trigonometry,” said Bertoni.
The SAT also features a free response section for math, something that was not seen at all on the ACT.
“The math section will be about 78 percent multiple choice and 22 percent of what are called produced answers,” said Bertoni. “Students will be given a word problem and they will then have to produce the work behind it.”
Although in the SAT there is no stand-alone science section, like the ACT, science and social studies will be incorporated in the English section as topics.