Coming March 2016: the Redesigned SAT

Coming March 2016: the Redesigned SAT

The long-anticipated redesigned SAT is almost here, and if your high school student is planning to take this exam for the first time next spring, he or she will definitely be impacted. Huntington Learning Center is your resource for all things SAT. Here is a high-level view of what to expect from the redesigned SAT, to be debuted in March 2016:

Greater focus on the skills needed for college and workforce success – The redesigned SAT is focused on the skills, knowledge and understandings that predict student success in college and the workforce. The College Board says the most essential skills students need are the ability to:

• Read, analyze, and use reasoning to comprehend challenging literary and informational texts, including texts on science and history/social studies topics, to expand their knowledge and understanding.
• Revise and edit extended texts across a range of academic and career-related subjects demonstrating an understanding of grammar and punctuation conventions as well as proper development and organization for the most effective expression of ideas.
• Show command of a focused, but powerful set of knowledge, skills, and understanding in math, and apply that ability to solve problems situated in science, social studies, and career-related contexts.
• Make careful and considered use of evidence as students read and write.
• Demonstrate reading, writing, and math skills in analyzing data, including data represented graphically in tables, charts, and other formats.
• Reveal an understanding of relevant words in context and how word choice shapes meaning and tone.

Optional essay – The Essay Test on the SAT will now be optional. Students must engage in and demonstrate the deep critical thinking and analysis (and of course, writing skills) learned throughout high school.

New Reading Test, Writing and Language Test, and Essay Test – The College Board made six major changes to these tests, summarized as follows:

1. Incorporated texts spanning a range of difficulty into the exams.
2. Changed the tests to assess whether students are able to analyze source texts and use textual evidence effectively to support claims and points.
3. Incorporated informational graphics, such as tables, graphs and charts.
4. Shifted the focus away from obscure vocabulary, with more emphasis placed on word meanings and the impact of word choice.
5. Focused the redesigned tests on language that is associated with clear and effective communication.
6. Adjusted the test to incorporate texts in a range of subject areas (including U.S. and world literature, science, history/social studies, the humanities, and careers).

New Math Test – The College Board made these changes to the Math Test:

1. Focused the exam on the math knowledge, skills, and understandings that are most strongly linked to readiness for and success in college.
2. Emphasized problem solving and data analysis.
3. Included both calculator and no-calculator sections.

For more specific details on the redesigned SAT, call Huntington. We can help you and your teen understand how the redesigned SAT will differ, how your teen needs to adjust his or her study approach, and much more.