you can toss those number two pencils because you
won't be filling in bubbles anymore. For those taki
the S.A.T. Test, it's going all online. The college
board announced the S.A.T. Tests will be online
beginning in 2020 for the online version of the S.A.T.
Will be an hour shorter from its current three hour
length. It will also have shorter reading passages a
calculators will be permitted for the entire math
portion of the test, according to Priscilla Rodrigue
vice president of college readiness assessments for the
college board. It was time for a new platform. We feel
that schools and students are familiar with teaching
and testing digitally and this is us in some ways
catching up to where they are and getting rid of the
number two pencils and the bubble sheets and the
shipping and the packing. Um, and really trying to make
this at its core a less stressful, less onerous
experience for both students and the educators who
actually bring the S.A.T. To them every day. This move
comes at a time when nearly 80% of colleges and
universities no longer required test scores for
admission for some expertise on the decision. Let's
bring in Bob Schaeffer and he's the executive director
of Fair Test, the National Organization for Fair
Open testing. Good morning to you sir. What's your
reaction to the online move Well, some of the changes
are positive from the student perspective, but this i
largely a marketing ploy designed to repackage a fading
product and try to keep it relevant and trying to keep
revenues flowing into the college board. The number of
test takers last year for the S.A.T. Declined by a
quarter by 500,000. Test takers of loss of millions and
millions of dollars. And they need to refurbish the
brand in order to keep it relevant. The main competito
the A.C.T. Is already computerized outside the U.S. A
has been for three years and is beginning to be offered
on computer in the US. And if they S.A.T. Doesn't catc
up They will fade away. 1800 colleges and univers
no longer require either test score. How relevant is it
today And does this accomplish what they set out to It
is not very relevant at all. Um 1816 4 year schools out
of 2300 will not require test scores from current high
school seniors. More than 1400 have said that they've
extended that policy at least through next year and
more than half of all schools in the country are
permanently test optional or test blind. Which would
mean they wouldn't look at scores even if they're
submitted. It's a family business of fading business
and their need to scramble to try and re position their
product. Test optional. World some feel it's biased
towards certain genders even races. Does this change
that equation at all No it's interesting a very good
question interesting enough. Th is nothing in the
college board's news packet that says it's going to
address the test fundamental flaws which include
spices, it's women against kids whose first language is
in english against older text takers. Nothing will
change its a susceptibility to high priced coaching in
which affluent parents can buy test prep steroids to
boost their scores and nothing will make it more useful
in the college admissions process. The reason these two
reasons schools are dropping the test is their own
research shows that it is not a useful predictor of
undergraduate success, high school record grades and
course rigor is a stronger predictor. Students wi
their results faster. Let's talk about the fact that
it's now shorter and you can use a calculator on the
math portions. Will that help paint a more accurate
picture of the student's capabilities I don't know if
it'll pay them more accurate picture. They've said
nothing about improving the validity the predictive
accuracy of the test. It makes the product more student
friendly and that's what they'r trying to do. I mean
they're, even their own news release talks about trying
to reposition the S.A.T. As an optional test in a test
optional world. The truth is you don't need any test,
pencil and paper or a computer for schools to make hi
quality fair admissions decisions going digital
certainly keeps up with the pace around the country.
But in terms of having availability of laptops
tablets, does that present its own set of challenges.
It's certainly from what we've seen from college
admissions counselors in high schools have reacted. Yes,
it certainly does. Many schools don't have sufficient
computers or sufficient bandwidth to administer the
test. Kids who don't have their own devices will have
to either use use computers with which they haven
been comfortable. And there may be new equity issues
built into the process because of the technology. What
is bob in your estimation The lifespan of the S A T and
the A.C.T quite frankly, five years from now, are we
living in a post world Post S A T A C T world It'll be
a world in which those tests are even less relevant
than they are Now. There may be some schools that
continue to use one test or the other. But for the vast
majority of students, the vast majority of colleges and
universities will not require test scores and we expect
many to file follow the lead of the university of
California, the nation's most prestigious public higher
education system, which has said that it will not
consider test scores even if they're submitted at a
highly competitive institutions Berkeley and U C L
A. Wow, interesting insight the If you need to find
out which schools rs 80 optional or don't require a
test for admission, go to fair test dot org bob
Schaeffer. Executive director of Fair Test, appreciate
you joining us this morning. Thanks