A change for the better

A change for the better Admissions dean lauds reform of SAT test, which may help to level playing field The College Board, the organization that administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), announced plans this month to overhaul the standardized test by 2016. In addition to reverting to its old scoring system based on a total of 1,600 points, the revamped college entrance exam will cover more vocabulary words relevant to success in college courses, focus on three areas of mathematics that are important to college work, make the essay portion of the test optional, and direct more assessment to evidence and argument. In general, the new exam is designed to be more curriculum-based to encourage students to make the most of their daily coursework. In addition, the College Board will collaborate with the nonprofit Khan Academy to provide free test preparation for students. In 2008, Harvard College Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons '67 chaired a commission convened by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) that took a critical look at the SAT and other standardized testing. The group, which included participants from colleges, secondary schools, and others with testing expertise, made a number of recommendations, many of them reflected in the changes made by the College Board. The NACAC report has gathered increasing attention since its release and has often been cited for encouraging colleges to conduct validity studies of the usefulness of standardized tests and to drop such tests if they do not prove valuable in predicting academic success.