Changes to Admission Testing

Jed ApplerouthNationally Certified CounselorPhD Educational Psychology

The two tests were initially created to measure different things

Aptitude Achievement

SAT Origins (IQ tests)Carl Brigham1920s updated Army Alpha Tests1923 wrote A Study of American Intelligence1926 converted Army Alpha into Standard Aptitude Test, under the auspices of the College Board, administered test to 8,040 high school students 1934 Harvard uses SAT to select scholarship recipients

Henry Chauncey1930 Assistant Dean at Harvard 1934 uses SAT to select scholarship recipients1943 contracts to administer SAT (Army-Navy Qualification Test) to 316,000 high school seniors 1945 Becomes first President of Education Testing Service, ETS1970 Retires, SAT given to 1.4 million students annually

SAT had its foundations in :abstract intelligence and aptitude

testing

ACT Origins (Iowa tests)Everett Franklin Lindquist (1901–1978)Psychology professor, educational researcher at the University of Iowa1929 Created tests which became the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills1959 Created the ACT (American College Testing) in Iowa City, Iowa

ACT had its foundations in: Iowa standardized public school

achievement testing

The ACT is taking overSAT ACT Gap

2005 1,475,623 1,186,251 289,372

2006 1,465,744 1,206,455 259,289

2007 1,494,531 1,300,599 193,932

2008 1,518,859 1,421,941 96,918

2009 1,530,128 1,480,469 49,659

2010 1,597,329 1,568,835 28,494

2011 1,647,123 1,623,112 24,011

2012 1,664,479 1,666,209 -1,730

2013 1,660,047 1,799,243 -139,196

2014 1,670,000* 1,845,787 -175,787 20052007

20092011

20131,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1,300,000

1,400,000

1,500,000

1,600,000

1,700,000

1,800,000

1,900,000

SATACT

College Board’s School day testing initiative is preventing a more precipitous decline

Why has the ACT dominated?

• Successful marketing!• Focus on achievement versus aptitude • The Battle for Common Core alignment• Statewide contracts• ACT perceived as multi-purpose test,

used to measure school performance

Common Core State Standards InitiativeACT has leveraged its superior Common Core alignment to win state-wide contracts across the country. Districts and states are using the ACT as an End of Course Test.

Explore Plan ACT pathway

College Board State-wide contracts

Pop: 935,614

Pop: 1,634,464

Pop: 1,330,089

Small potatoes!

College Board has been largely unsuccessful selling its product state-wide

College Board State-wide contracts

Pop: 935,614Pop: 1,634,464

Pop: 1,330,089

CB did just win Michigan because of a bidding error on the part of ACT Inc.,

Pop: 9,909,877

First Big Win

in Years!

ACT State-Wide Contracts• 2001: *Illinois and Colorado• 2007: Kentucky, Michigan and Wyoming• 2009: North Dakota and Tennessee• 2012: North Carolina• 2013: Hawaii, Louisiana and Montana • 2014: Alabama and Utah• 2015: Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Wisconsin.

*2015 Illinois is shifting ACT funding towards the PARCC Common Core assessments- getting the attention of ACT Inc.!

Common Core State Standards Initiative• The writing is on the wall: align with the CCSSI or get out of

the game• Current ACT is better aligned with Common Core

Standards, leading to broader adoption• Testing Consortia, PARCC & Smarter Balanced, funded by

DOE using Race to the Top money, was tasked with developing CCSSI-aligned assessments: an existential threat to the SAT and ACT

Common Core is smaller, but still highly significant

25 22 states22 15 states

Common Core still central, though under attack

• 43 US states currently use the Common Core standards

• 12 states are witnessing political attacks on the Common Core

• Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina repealed the Common Core in 2014

South Carolina case study

• Repealed the Common Core and withdrew from Smarter Balanced testing

• Decided to follow its own standards and make its own assessments (GA followed suit)

• Granted the $58.4 million (5-year) contract to assess grades 3-8 to the ACT Inc.!

For these testing behemoths, college assessment is only the tip of the iceberg.

The real game is the K-12 assessment piece

SAT/ACT

K-12

College Board witnessed the new order and knew it had to change

Relevance

SAT’s slow and steady march from Aptitude to Achievement

Loaded with vocabulary

and abstract reasoning

Major shift towards

achievement

1918

First SAT

1926

Army Alpha Pure IQ

1994 2005 2016

DropAntonyms

Add student-response and harder math

Dropanalogies and quantitative comparisons

Add writing

DropSentence

CompletionsHarder Math

Grammar in ContextScience Graphs

Evidence-based essay

All Common CoreAll the Way

…

The Great SAT Overhaul

The SAT nixed the guessing penalty

Bring on the Random Guess! No more worries about that pesky quarter point.

And welcomed Science!

The new SAT will incorporate tables, charts, and graphs.SAT takers will need to find correlations, plot points, and manipulate data as on the ACT.

SAT will incorporate the science items throughout both the verbal and the math sections.

Put grammar in contextTo conform with the Common Core standards, like the ACT, the SAT is placing all of its writing items in the context of paragraphs

The passages on the new SAT Writing will be harder level passages than those found on the ACT.

Made a Common Core math test emphasizing conceptual understanding

• Less of a focus on heuristics and speed• Algebra will be the king of the redesigned SAT Math

section. • Geometry will be taking a major backseat: going from a

whopping 40% of questions on the current SAT to a mere 10% on the redesigned test.

• Will incorporate most every math topic currently tested by the ACT and not the SAT (from trigonometry and radians to equations of a circle and congruence theorems)

• Integrates numerous multi-step problems with intensive reading requirements

Took away the calculator on one math section

The calculator free math section stresses math fluency and theoretical understanding. These questions are quite challenging.

Students will need to learn more math fundamentals and learn how to read and perceive problems differently. The ability to interpret trumps the ability to solve.

Added many concepts from Math 1 and Math 2 subject tests

• Math 1: trigonometry, complex numbers, irrational numbers, advanced geometry

• Math 2: inverse functions, radians, more trigonometry (secant, cosecant, cotangent, and laws of sines & cosines), more coordinate geometry and functions

Effectively catching up to the ACT in terms of content difficulty, and surpassing it in many areas

Demonstrating how new problems require a deeper understanding of math

How long after the second car leaves will it catch up to the first car?A) 17 minutesB) 30 minutes

Which of the follow mathematical equations represents the scenario described?A) 3x + 4y – 19 = 230B) 4x + 3y – 19 = 180

OLD

NEW

Made Reading look more like the ACT, but increased the difficulty level

• Like the ACT, the SAT Reading section will consist of passages from the domains of Science, Literature, and Humanities/Social Studies.

• SAT will also add ACT Science-style charts, graphs, and figures into the science passages.

• Textual complexity is way up! • The level of difficulty on the science and prose

passages is similar to that found on the SAT Literature test, demanding a higher degree of fluency than ever before.

Doubled the timing of the essay, put it at the end, and made it much more analytical and challenging

“Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade his audience.”

The new essay is an improvement. New scoring rubric grants a max of 4 points for reading, 4 points for analysis, 4 points for writing.

Invoked the “Great Global Conversation”

If the December preview questions are an accurate indication of what’s to come, questions drawn from the “Global Conversation” will punish students who lack context into our history and political process.

Allowed more time per question, but many students will need it for the harder question types

Seconds Per Question

Section ACT Current SAT New SAT

Grammar 36.0 42.9 47.7

Reading 52.5 62.7 75.0

Math 60.0 77.8 84.2

Science 52.5 -

Even considering the more difficult items on the New SAT, the extra time will help students with slower processing speeds,

Took the ACT approach and reduced the number of sections

Essay

Critical Reading

Math

Writing

Math

Math

Critical Reading

ExperimentalSection

Critical Reading

Writing

Reading

Writing and Language

Calculator Optional Math

No Calculator Math

Optional Essay

Current SAT New SAT

But essentially maintained the current timing of the SAT, including the essay

Reading

Writing

Math

No Calculator Math

Optional Essay

Essay

Reading

Math

Writing

Math

Math

Reading

Exp.

Reading

Writing

Reading

Writing

Math

Science

Optional Essay

Current SAT New SAT

3:45

3:00

:50

2:55

:30*

3:25*

ACT

TestingTime

Subject to change

3:50

+5

Dropped the Experimental Section in favor of intermixed experimental items

CB announced that some students who opt out of the essay may receive an SAT with 5 sections, with experimental items sprinkled in among all the official “operating” items.

The occasional Experimental Item

A sea of Operating Items

Returns to the 1600 Scale with subscores

“Verbal”

“Quantitative”

Writing

Reading

Math

Current SAT New SAT

800

800

800

2400

800

800

Reading

Writing

Math

Science

1600

subscores

Subscores will be meaningful for colleges and programs looking for students with particular skill sets

For context: let’s review some sample Items provided on the College Board Web Site

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sample-questions/math/calculator-not-permitted/1

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sample-questions/reading/1

Math

Reading

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/psat_nmsqt_practice_test_1.pdf

New PSAT!

PSAT CaveatTuesday 3/24/2015 the CB released the new PSAT, which appears to be significantly less difficult than the December SAT problem set. This leads us to one of two conclusions:1) CB realized the December content was too hard

and is retrenching to a lower level of difficulty2) The SAT will be significantly harder than the

PSAT

In May, once the first SAT is released, we will get a much better sense of the difficulty level of the new SAT.

The New SAT appears to be the hardest SAT in recent memory, significantly more challenging than the ACT

• With elevated levels of reading and math difficulty, the new SAT may provide quite a challenge for many students.

• We predict many sophomores will stick with the current SAT, completing testing by January 2016, or migrating to the ACT.

Coleman’s Long Game

• This bold move by the College Board pays off if and only if colleges perceive the SAT as a more predictive assessment, or high schools perceive it as a yardstick for their students’ academic performance.

• The SAT will likely lose many students in its inaugural year.

• Coleman is not afraid of rolling the dice!

Which students will do well on the New SAT?

Students who excel at critical thinking, advanced math, reading and comprehending advanced texts should do very well on the new SAT as well as the current SAT and ACT.

Your top students may be very successful on the new SAT

The ACT is also shifting, albeit more subtly

ACT is getting itself more Common-Core aligned, gradually and without fanfare

• Essay Changes• Extra Scores/Reporting• Digital Assessments• Reading Changes• Optional Constructed

Response subject tests

ACT has historically responded to changes from the SAT

With College Board adding Writing in March 2005, the ACT added its own optional essay in February 2005

ACT Reading has been changing gradually since October 2013

New ACT reading sections have compare and contrast dual passages! Taking a note directly from the SAT playbook

Author 2

How is Author 1’s tone distinct from that of Author 2?

Author 1

IronyObjective Detachment

VS

Responding to the harder SAT essay, the ACT essay is changing

• will evaluate 4 areas: ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use.

• It might be longer than 30 minutes• Students will be provided several perspectives and

asked to create their own analysis of a complex issue

Progressive Conservative

Author 2Author 1

Vs.

New EssayOld EssayShould students who have C averages in high school be allowed to get driving permits?

ACT math composition is shifting

Pre-algebra: 14 items (23%)Elementary algebra: 10 items (17%)Intermediate algebra: 9 items (15%)Planar geometry: 14 items (23%)Coordinate geometry: 9 items (15%)Elementary Trigonometry: 4 items (6.7%)

More advanced math is coming to the ACT as a direct response to the harder SAT math

Lock ‘em in early! The new battleground

• ACT Aspire product (replacing the EXPLORE and PLAN) for grades 3-10

• New College Board assessments for grades 6-12 in development

Both shops targeting Common Core Assessments and End of Course Tests

As the SAT changes, the PSAT likewise changes

PSAT structural changes2014 PSAT 2015 PSAT

Time (m) Questions

Seconds/question

Time (m) Questions

Seconds/question

Reading 50 48 63 60 47 77

Writing 30 39 46 35 44 48

Math 50 38 79 70 47 89

Total 130 125 62 165 138 72

+ 35 min + 16%

New test is 15 minutes shorter than a full New SAT, without the essay. Students will have more time per question, though they may need it

PSAT/NMSQT scoring changes

Min Max Min Max

Reading 20 80160 760

Writing 20 80

Math 20 80 160 760

Total 600 2400 320 1520

2014 PSAT 2015 PSAT

New scoring will be a little confusing at first- similar to the PLAN 32 to ACT 36 scoring.

And in 2016, PSATs for the young’uns

“Vertical scaling” allows scores to build towards the 1600 as new skills are added, potentially facilitating tracking/growth

Section Min

Section Max

Test Total

PSAT/NMSQT 160 760 1520

PSAT 10 160 760 1520

PSAT 9 120 720 1440

PSAT 8 120 720 1440

Same structure

Same structure

CB has plans to build assessments down to grade 6, and likely younger, in a play for Common Core assessment dominance. Expect a name change away from SAT/PSAT

National Merit- PSAT

• Students who did well on the 2014 “old” PSAT have a good chance of doing well on the 2015 “new” PSAT.

• Students will need to specifically prepare for the new PSAT if they are shooting for National Merit awards.

• A current SAT will confirm a score for National Merit from the 2015 PSAT/NMSQT, i.e., a current sophomore will not need to take the new SAT to attain National Merit

More PSAT news

• PSAT scores may be delayed from December 2015 to January 2016. They’ll arrive with new-to-old PSAT concordance tables

• For 2015, schools can administer the SAT on the recommended October 14th or the alternate October 28th date.

• 2016 and beyond, optional Spring PSATs will be available to schools

Practice Materials and Scoring the New SAT

College Board keeps kicking the can further down the line

Dec2013

SAT practice tests promised and delayed;

New PSAT arrived 3-24

New SAT delayed by a

full year (U.C. system

timing demands

too tough!)

4 SAT practice tests promised,

though without accurate scoring

March2015

June2015

SAT practice tests promised and delayed:

we did get some practice

items

Dec 2014

May 2015

4 SAT practice tests promised; we will now get

1 through Khan

Without calibrated, accurate materials, it’s hard to help students prepare and predict likely scores

College Board is struggling to meet its own deadlines

• 2 weeks ago, the CB announced it would deliver 4 practice tests in May.

• Yesterday, we spoke to a CB rep who told us the CB had downgraded that to a single test available in May.

• The College Board book should arrive at the end of June, with 4 non-scaled tests (without conversion tables)

Announced New SAT Practice• March 19 CB PSAT (no scoring scales till June-July)• May: 1 CB-written, unscaled practice test arriving

online via khan Academy (initially promised 4!)• Summer- 4 CB tests will be bound and printed in the

Official SAT Study Guide, • 4 Khan Academy SAT practice tests to be released as

printable PDFs, individually, at spaced intervals via Khan. Upload by cell phone photo to grade!

Without scaled scores until mid-summer, it will be hard to predict performance or calibrate scores

Scoring practice tests

• College Board will use the May practice test on Khan’s site to try to simulate conversion tables.

• Once College Board releases scoring scales in June or July, students will be able to convert raw scores to scaled scores on Khan’s site.

• New SAT will not be normed or fully standardized until the March 2016 test, the test against which future tests will be compared and equated.

• Until the New SAT is normed, all scores are speculative. CB hopes the estimated scales will closely align with standardized scales.

Without scaled scores, it will be very tough to compare SAT and ACT scores

• Students will have to wait until June/July to know how they are doing on the redesigned SAT

• Accurate comparisons between the SAT and ACT will be impossible until scaled scores are released, making it harder to counsel students to go towards the new SAT.

• You may be able to miss 3 items to get a 720 on the new SAT, or 9 items. We have no idea until a tentative scale is published.

Expect a very different curve on the New SAT

The new SAT, as we understand it, will be a significantly more challenging SAT. Students will miss more items.

If this test is as hard as the released practice problems suggest it will be, the curve will be substantially different from that of the current SAT

College Board is intentionally delaying the March and possibly May 2016 SAT score returns. CB psychometricians will use May scores to help validate the new scoring scale from the March norming group.

March2016

Late May/June

2016

May 2016

Establish the curve, raw to scaled scores

validate the curve

Release the results

Concordance tables

• PSAT concordance tables arriving December 2015 or January 2016

• SAT tables- comparing Old versus New- arriving next summer, May or June 2016

• Derived SAT versus ACT tables will arrive in May or June 2016. CB announced, “the concordance to ACT will be derived by matching the redesigned SAT to the current SAT, and then the current SAT to the ACT using validated concordance tables.” True SAT-ACT concordance, from a common pool of students, likely to arrive in 2017-2018.

The Khan Alliance• Khan academy will have CB-endorsed practice

material.• Khan’s site will be in beta in May, and will offer

expanded functionality in October.• Khan will offer diagnostic baseline tests to

generate personalized practice.• Khan will eventually link to students’ College Board

accounts to upload PSAT results and eventually SAT results to create personalized study materials.

Digitization of testing changes the nature of assessment

• ACT enters digital world 2015, SAT in 2016.

• Adaptive testing. Rich virtual environments. (GMAT-integrated reasoning. GRE)

• PARCC digital tests • Future of testing moves

beyond multiple choice

New assessments will be adaptive, dynamic, allow students to display knowledge in new ways

Timeline for SAT-ACT changes

Class of 2017 (rising sophomores) will straddle the old and new SAT. Many

will take practice exams to determine their optimal test.

March 2015

New PSAT for Class of 2017

and 2018

Practice PSAT

released

Final Old SAT

New SAT! (delayed score

return)First digital

SAT

October 2015

January 2016

March 2016

Digital ACT and ACT

changes

Spring/Fall 2015

Oct, Nov, Dec 2015

Old SATs

Students don’t need to take both tests, though more students are hedging their bets

2014: over 30% of Princeton applicants submitted both SAT and ACT, as did roughly 25% of applicants to Harvard, UVA, and UCLA.

It’s more efficient and cost-effective to select one test and focus all the energies in that direction. Baseline test scores help determine the optimal test.

SAT ACT

How might these changes affect high schools?

• High schools interested in their students attaining high SAT scores will need to adapt to the new Common Core curriculum

• Private schools may need to supplement their content to get their kids New-SAT ready

• Certain student populations may be intimidated by the harder content on the new SAT

How will colleges perceive the new SAT compared to the old?

• The vast majority of feedback we have received from colleges pertaining to the new test has been positive.

• No college, to our knowledge, has come out and stated they will not accept the current SAT for the class of 2017, despite many rumors to the contrary.

• Changes to SAT subject test policies TBA.• The new SAT may correlate more closely with

freshman and 4-year GPA, as it appears to be a superior measure of college preparedness. Colleges will have early data by Summer of 2018.

Sophomore Class • Must determine whether to take current SAT, New

SAT, or ACT using baseline practice tests.• A seamless transition between the old and new SAT

is unlikely- these are different kinds of tests that will require different preparation. Most students will benefit from choosing a test.

• If you choose the current SAT, you will need to complete testing by January of Junior year, which will accelerate the testing timeline.

• If you choose the new SAT, you can start prepping in late fall/winter

• If you choose the ACT, typical timelines apply

The ideal time to prepTesting typically lives in Junior year, but in this year of transition, some sophomores may take an SAT in May or June

Good first/ 2nd test

Good 2nd /3rd test

Final Test if needed

Oct

SAT Subject Tests

J U N I O R Y E A R

ED/EAapps

APsPSAT

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Sep Oct Nov Dec

SAT + ACT

SAT

ACT

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