To be very fair, this isn't College Board's fault. The dizzying din that is taking attention away from the accomplishments of this year's seniors isn't coming from the SAT but from those who are speculating about the new version of the SAT, set to debut in the spring of 2016.
"Will it be harder?"
"Will it be easier?"
"It's going to be just like the ACT."
And finally:
"Kids shouldn't take it next year."
This last perspective comes from those who are anticipating that the new SAT will follow in the footsteps of the Edsel, New Coke, or nearly every Jennifer Lopez film. "We don't know what it's going to be like," they argue, "so wait until the fall of senior year to take it. That gives College Board the summer to work out the kinks from the first test administrations."
Standardized testing makes me as Gigli as the next person, but I can't believe people are getting nervous about an exam that's going to be rolled out next month but not given until next year. Consider this:
- After May 1 Khan Academy will have more test-prep material for the new SAT than the average student could hope for. Not only is this material free, but it's going to be supplied to Khan Academy by College Board. This won't be somebody's best guess about what might be on the test; these are samples written by the company that's making the test. This kind of partnership has never happened before.
College Board is leaving little to chance with the new SAT. Students should do the same with the testing portion of their college applications. Take the test.