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JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): The SAT, long a subject of great debate, is about to undergo some big changes. The College Board, which administers the exam, taken by high school students, announced a partial overhaul that will take effect in the spring of 2016.
The changes include: eliminating a mandatory essay and making it optional. The SAT will revert to a top score of 1,600, instead of 2,400, as is the case now. It also ends penalties for guessing incorrectly. And it will make the vocabulary testing less arcane. There will be new fee waivers for lower-income students too.
College Board president David Coleman said he was concerned the SAT, and the testing mania surrounding it, was putting an even bigger burden on disadvantaged students.
DAVID COLEMAN, President, College Board: We must confront the inequalities that now surround assessment, such as costly test preparation. It is time for the College Board to say in a clear voice the culture and practice of test preparation that now surrounds admissions exams drives the perception of inequality and injustice in our country.
JUDY WOODRUFF: For a closer look at the changes and the reason behind it, we turn to special correspondent for education, John Merrow.
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