Recent changes in the SAT did not substantially alter how accurately the test predicts first-year grades, according to new research released today by the College Board. Whether that’s cause for celebration or concern depends on whom you ask.
Officials at the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the test, say the research affirms that revisions to the exam — including the addition of a writing section — did not decrease its value to admissions offices. The research also found that the writing section was the most predictive of the three SAT sections. “This is very important and positive news for colleges,” said Gaston Caperton, the College Board’s president.
Not so, said Robert A. Schaeffer, public-education director for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a watchdog group. Mr. Schaeffer noted that the College Board’s research revealed that the new SAT, like the old version, is a better predictor for some subgroups of students than for others. “Maybe the College Board’s slogan should be ‘Meet the new test, same as the old test — only longer and more expensive,’” Mr. Schaeffer said.
The College Board’s research comprised two “validity studies,” the first to include the full cohort of students who took the new SAT, introduced in March 2005, and who finished their first year of college this spring. The studies evaluated data on approximately 150,000 students at 110 four-year institutions. —Eric Hoover
