Opinion
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion

The New SAT Won’t Close the Achievement Gap

By Garrett Neiman — March 15, 2016 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

After two years of waiting, the highly anticipated new SAT is finally here. Students around the United States began taking the exam this month, kicking off a new era in college-admissions testing that presents a major opportunity to level the playing field for high-need students.

The millions of students in America’s public schools who are members of minorities, first- or second-generation immigrants, English-language learners, first-generation college-entrants, and from low-income families face an uphill battle. As the co-founder and CEO of CollegeSpring, a national nonprofit that offers SAT preparation and near-peer mentoring for thousands of low-income students, I see these challenges firsthand every day. When CollegeSpring students took baseline diagnostic exams for the old SAT, for example, they scored in the 12th percentile, on average. While schools sometimes blame this disparity on the SAT itself, the reality is that differences in academic preparation drive the divide.

BRIC ARCHIVE

When CollegeSpring students, along with thousands of other students, take the new SAT for the first time this month, they will experience an exam that is more straightforward and accessible. The new test’s content better reflects skills that students learn in school and need to be successful in college and the workplace. Obscure vocabulary has been removed; topics that are closely connected to success in college, such as algebra, have been emphasized; and the essay’s rhetorical-analysis focus is more germane to college writing. Even the scoring system is less complicated now that the guessing penalty—long a source of stress and confusion, especially for the exam’s least-savvy test-takers—has been eliminated.

That said, many disadvantaged students will still find the exam difficult. Although students now have more time to answer questions, struggling readers, including English-language learners, may lose focus when asked to read critically for 65 consecutive minutes. Disadvantaged students are also less likely to bring a calculator to the test and less likely to know how to use it effectively, and this may hurt their math scores. In addition, many students will skip the now-optional SAT essay, a missed opportunity for students who would not otherwise be pushed to learn how to write an effective five-paragraph essay.

Mitigating the SAT achievement gap is not impossible, but it does require that we recognize that the most-disadvantaged students experience the SAT very differently from their most-advantaged peers."

Mitigating the SAT achievement gap is not impossible, but it does require that we recognize that the most-disadvantaged students experience the SAT very differently from their most-advantaged peers. On their baseline diagnostic exams, CollegeSpring students traditionally score an average of 1100—far below the national SAT score average, which is closer to 1500.

For the highest-need students who require substantial skills remediation, human intervention is still required to close this gap. Many disadvantaged students struggle with meeting secondary school standards, such as solving algebra problems and identifying grammatical errors in paragraphs. Some students even find basic arithmetic and other foundational skills overwhelming.

Most students will not invest in SAT preparation in the first place without the encouragement of a credible adult. Additionally, the in-depth coaching required to build basic skills demands sound pedagogy and personalized attention. Coaching and mentorship also help students cultivate crucial soft skills, such as self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, and a growth mindset—all of which are critical for success in college and career.

Given the persistent disparities, other College Board initiatives designed to encourage equity are perhaps even more exciting than changes to the test’s content, including that more than 900,000 students have already registered for Official SAT Practice accounts on Khan Academy. Khan Academy and the College Board have partnered to offer official SAT content and test-prep at no cost to students. Also, many large school districts, including New York City, have signed on to participate in SAT School Day to ensure that students from high-poverty schools can take the SAT for free during the school day. Both endeavors are major steps forward in transparency and accountability and will generate invaluable new data that move the field of education reform forward.

The College Board’s commitment to a more accessible and equitable SAT is a promising step and should lead to reductions in achievement gaps. While changes to the test alone will not close these gaps, we will soon have much more data to help the students who require additional support become college-ready. If we remain vigilant and use this information effectively, we will be able to equip our highest-need students with the skills required to give them a better shot at a college education and, ultimately, a brighter future.

Follow the Education Week Commentary section on Facebook and Twitter.
A version of this article appeared in the March 16, 2016 edition of Education Week as For Disadvantaged Students, New SAT Is First Step

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Jaded With Education, More Americans Are Skipping College
The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
9 min read
Grayson Hart, who directs a youth theater program at the Ned R. McWherter West Tennessee Cultural Arts Center in Jackson, Tenn., is one of thousands of young adults who graduated high school during the pandemic and are taking career routes other than college.
Grayson Hart, who directs a youth theater program at the Ned R. McWherter West Tennessee Cultural Arts Center in Jackson, Tenn., is one of thousands of young adults who graduated high school during the pandemic and are taking career routes other than college.
Mark Zaleski/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Want to Motivate Students? Give Them a Meaningful Taste of the Working World
Work-based learning experiences can help students understand why the classes they are taking are relevant to their future success.
7 min read
A nurse supervises a young student standing at the foot of a hospital bed chatting about the medical chart that she is holding.
E+/Getty + Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness A Lesson in Eggonomics: The Story of Soaring Prices and Industrious High Schoolers
California agriculture students are undercutting grocery store egg prices—and learning big lessons in the process.
4 min read
Cardboard egg cartons sit stacked on the shelf of a grocery store cooler case.
Eggs are displayed on store shelves at a grocery store. Egg prices surged in late 2022, giving agriculture students hands-on lessons in supply chain issues.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Photo Essay PHOTOS: Cars, Canines, and Cosmetology—All in a Day's Work
EdWeek photographer Morgan Lieberman reflects on her day with Dean McGee, a 2023 Leaders To Learn From honoree.
2 min read
Students Fernando Castro and Eric Geye’s, part of the Auto Technology class, show Dean McGee the vehicle they are working on at the Regional Occupational Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Dean McGee takes a look under a vehicle alongside students from the auto technology class at the Regional Occupational Center, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week