Maybe there should be a pass/fail "ready for college" exam that has relevant curricular based limits on content. So many tests that report further out on a curve aren't normed at those levels and end up reporting perfectionism and test taking skills. For schools or programs interested in aptitudes, how bout a ramped up differntial aptitude test. For schools wanting specific knowledge depth, how about AP tests?
I like the sound of this, in principle.
But not all college bound kids TAKE AP Classes and not all High School even offer many AP classes. Particularly ones in poorer areas/districts. Are you saying the kids would NEED to take AP Classes to get into university. AP Classes are supposed to be "college level" classes. I don't want to debate the merits of AP Classes here, but they are administered by the same company that sells the SAT and are going through revisions and have problems of their own. I'm not sure they are any better indicator of college readiness than the SAT. What you are probably looking for is the SAT Subject test, and fewer and fewer school require those. Some schools like the UC System, now only require them if you are applying for programs like Engineering.
As for one test to show "ready for college", so who is going to make that test. Each college? And students are going to have to take multiple tests? At least that might stem the trend to applied to 15-20 colleges.
In defense of a test like the ACT or SAT, different colleges expect different 'scores' and some look more carefully at sub scores. Grades alone without any standardized test have their own problem because there isn't one standard by witch all classes are graded even amount one high school.
I also disagree with the statement that 'college is high school'. This very much depends on what school. There are a whole range of universities & colleges in the US, with a huge variation is the level of their classwork. Many community colleges have many 'high school' level classes, and high schools have 'AP' classes. Thus making 'high school' and the first year of college a bit muddy. But I know very bright students who are at top ranked universities who worked extremely hard through high school, and now are often working harder than I certainly every did in college. This is really a topic that has previously been discussed on another tread, and I don't want to go into more here.
Back to the topic at hand. Not sure at all about these SAT changes will have to see more info. I don't think it's going to really change the SAT test prep situation. I don't like that my DS15 will be in on the first year of these new changes, and one of the guinea pig of the new test. And I do agree that these 'college' tests should test what colleges what to know, more than what high schools are teaching.
