The New SAT ® What Does It Mean for Students?

3The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 The New SAT Focuses on College Success ™ Skills Critical Reading Mathematics Writing The SAT ® tests students’ reasoning based on knowledge and skills developed through their course work. It measures their ability to analyze and solve problems by applying what they have learned in school.

4The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Time Frame October 2004: New PSAT/NMSQT ® March 2005: New SAT

5The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Time Frame Class of 2006 will take new SAT Class of 2005—current seniors Current SAT as seniors in fall 2004 New SAT as seniors in March 2005 (if necessary) Class of 2006—current juniors New PSAT/NMSQT as juniors in fall 2004 New SAT as juniors in March 2005 and later New SAT as seniors

6The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 The Changes to the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT ® Verbal Name will be changed to critical reading. Analogies will be eliminated. Short reading passages will replace analogies and will measure the kind of reasoning formerly measured by analogies.

7The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 The Changes to the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT Math Quantitative comparisons will be eliminated. The content is being expanded to reflect the mathematics that college-bound students typically learn during their first three years of high school. The reasoning aspects of the test together with the expanded content will more effectively assess the mathematics necessary for student success in college. Math content on the PSAT/NMSQT will also be enhanced, but it will not include Algebra II because most students will not be familiar with that level of math.

8The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 The Changes to the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT Writing Multiple-choice grammar and usage questions Will measure the student’s understanding of how to use language in a clear, consistent manner, how to revise and edit, and how to recognize an error in a sentence. Student-written essay (SAT only) Will measure the student’s use of language: logical presentation of ideas, development of a point of view, and clarity of expression under timed conditions. Essay practice tool provided AT NO COST to all schools administering the PSAT/NMSQT.

9The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 The Changes to the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT Skills Feedback The PSAT/NMSQT provides individualized feedback to students through its Score Report Plus. The College Board is developing a similar tool for the SAT.

10The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Time Specifications PSAT/NMSQT Current PSAT/NMSQTNew PSAT/NMSQT 2 hours 10 minutes Critical Reading 50 minutes Two 25-minute sections 50 minutes Two 25-minute sections Math 50 minutes Two 25-minute sections 50 minutes Two 25-minute sections Writing 30 minutes One 30-minute multiple-choice section 30 minutes One 30-minute multiple-choice section

11The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Time Specifications SAT Current SATNew SAT 3 hours3 hours 45 minutes Critical Reading 75 minutes Two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section 70 minutes Two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section Math 75 minutes Two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section 70 minutes Two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section Writing 60 minutes Two multiple-choice sections (one 25-minute section and one 10-minute section) and one 25-minute essay Variable Section30 minutes25 minutes

12The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Test Content and Question Types Current SATNew SAT Critical Reading Sentence Completion Critical Reading: Long reading passages Analogies Sentence Completion Critical Reading: Short and long reading passages Math Multiple-choice items, student-produced responses, and quantitative comparisons measuring: Number and Operations; Algebra I and Functions; Geometry; and Statistics, Probability, and Data Analysis. Multiple-choice items and student-produced responses measuring: Number and Operations; Algebra I, II, and Functions; Geometry; and Statistics, Probability, and Data Analysis Writing Multiple-choice: Improving sentences and paragraphs and identifying errors. Student-written essay: Effectively communicate a point of view on an issue, supporting a position with reasoning and examples.

13The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 Test Scores Current SATNew SAT Critical ReadingV 200–800CR 200–800 MathM 200–800 Writing W 200–800 Will include 2 subscores: Essay 2–12 (1/3 of writing score) Multiple-choice 20–80 (2/3 of writing score)

14The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June, 2004 How Students Can Prepare Students should: Challenge themselves throughout high school by taking rigorous courses, including at least 3 years of math Read and write as much as possible—both in and outside of school Familiarize themselves with the SAT so they know what to expect on test day Familiarize themselves with the different types of questions on the SAT, the directions for each type of question, and how the test is scored. Take the new PSAT/NMSQT in October 2004—the new PSAT/NMSQT will be the best preparation for the new SAT

15The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June,

16The New SAT: What Does It Mean for Students? June,