>>LAUREN VERNO: EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE COLLEGE BOARD REPORTED THE CHANGES TO THE S
A T EXAM, INCLUDING A SHIFT
FROM PAPER TO DIGITAL, MEANING
YOUR CHILD NO LONGER NEEDS AT
NUMBER 2 PENCIL. THE PANDEMIC
HAS MADE CHANGES TO HOW WE
WORK. IT IS NO DIFFERENT TO
THE TEST. SOME STUDENTS TOOK
IT DIGITALLY LAST YEAR AND
LESS STRESS LIKE IMAGINE THAT.
SO THIS 3RD OF THE CHANGES AND
ARE NOW SHIFTING THE TEST OVER
THE NEXT 2 YEARS. JOINING ME
NOW IS CHRIS GONZALEZ, A
HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER
DIRECTOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US. ABSOLUTELY.
WANT THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
YOU KNOW, I I THERE’S A LOT OF
PARENTS WATCHING THIS RIGHT
NOW. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST
CHANGES FOR STUDENTS WHO PLAN
TO BE TAKING THIS TESTING WANT
REALLY GO INTO EFFECT?
>> YEAH, YOU’RE RIGHT. SO THAT
THE CHANGES ARE GOING TO TAKE
PLACE IN 2024. FOR MOST
STUDENTS. AND YOU MENTIONED
THE DIGITAL. IT IS GOING
DIGITAL. BUT THE BIGGEST
CHANGES IN MY TENURE, THE FACT
THAT IT’S BEEN SHORTENED FROM
A 3 HOUR TEST TO IT TO OUR
TEST. THEY’RE READING PASSAGES
ARE GETTING LESS WORDY. THE
MATH PROBLEMS ARE GETTING LESS
CUMBERSOME AND YOU GET THESE A
CALCULATOR THROUGHOUT THE
WHOLE TEST. SO THE MAJOR
CHANGES THAT THIS IS JUST
BECOMING MUCH MORE STUDENT
FRIENDLY FOR SURE.
>> WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS?
>> YEAH, THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION. I THINK ONE OF THE
MAJOR KNOCKS ON THE S A T HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THAT IT IS TEST OF
YOUR KNOWLEDGE. IT’S MORE A
TEST OF HOW WELL CAN YOU PLAY
STRATEGIES? HOW WELL CAN YOU
STAY FOCUSED FOR A LONG PERIOD
OF TIME? AND SO THE TEST
MAKERS ARE TRYING TO FIND A
WAY, IN MY OPINION TO MAKE
THIS TESTS MORE STUDENT
FRIENDLY, BUT ALSO MORE USEFUL
FOR WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO NEED
FOR COLLEGE.
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO-CALLED, AS
YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK AT BOTH
INDIVIDUAL COMPOSITE SCORES.
IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE AND
ALLOW INSTITUTIONS A BETTER
CHANCE TO SEE WHAT STUDENTS
CAN BRING? YOU KIND OF SAID
IT. BUT IT IS GOING TO REFLECT
A STUDENT BETTER.
>> YEAH, THE HOPE IS
ABSOLUTELY YES, THAT IT WILL.
YOU KNOW, COLLEGES ARE ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR SOME FORM OF
COMMON YARDSTICK TO MEASURE
KIDS, YOU KNOW, ADDITION TO
THEIR GPA. SO THE HOPE IS, I
BELIEVE THAT THIS IS GOING TO
MAKE THE STUDENT SHOWCASE
THEIR ABILITIES A LOT STRONGER
THAN IT HAS IN YEARS PAST.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU KNOW, I
HEARD WHEN I AND THIS IS MANY
YEARS AGO, BUT WHEN I WAS
APPLYING FOR COLLEGE, IT
REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW WELL
ROUNDED OF A PERSON YOU ARE IN
LIEU OF JUST YOUR TESTING. DO
YOU THINK THAT’S MORE TRUE
THAN EVER?
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW, COVID
CHANGED A LOT OF THINGS,
OBVIOUSLY FOR THAT. THE WHOLE
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS,
SOME SCHOOLS WANT TO TEST
OPTIONAL. HERE IN FLORIDA, WE
SAW A LOT OF COLLEGES STILL
KEEP THEM THE SAME. YES, I
THINK NOW MORE THAN EVER
THERE’S GOING TO BE A HUGE
RELIANCE ON A STUDENT’S GPA.
BUT SAFETY IN A SEAT. HE
SCORES ARE STILL GOING TO BE
EXTREMELY USEFUL FOR NOT ONLY
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE, BUT ALSO
SCHOLARSHIP PURPOSES. YOU
THINK ABOUT BRIGHT FUTURES IS
A HUGE PROGRAM THAT THE STATE
OF FLORIDA OFFERS. I THINK
THIS IS GOING TO PLAY A BIGGER
ROLE NOW MORE THAN EVER.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YEAH. AND
STUDENTS REALLY NEED TO TAKE
AWAY FROM THIS. HOW IS IT
GOING TO CHANGE THEIR
STUDYING? HAVE IT ISN’T REALLY
GOING TO CHANGE IT?
>> YEAH, I THINK IT’S GOOD.
NOT CHANGE TOO MUCH OF WHAT
THEY’RE DOING IN HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO PREPARING
FOR THESE TESTS, I THINK
STUDENTS CAN GET EXCITED. I
THINK IF I’M AT A YOUNGER AGE
LOOKING FORWARD TO THESE
CHANGES DOWN THE ROAD, I’M
EXCITED KNOWING THAT THIS TEST
IS GOING TO BE EASIER FOR ME.
80% OF THE KIDS WHO PILOT THIS
TEST SAID THIS IS A MUCH
GREATER EXPERIENCE THAT WAS IN
YEARS PAST. SO I DON’T THINK
IT’S GOING TO CHANGE THEIR
APPROACH TO HIGH SCHOOL, BUT
IT WILL DEFINITELY CHANGE THE
WAY THEY PREPARE FOR THIS EXAM
MOVING
>>LAUREN VERNO: AS A TEST
PREP, ARE YOU GUYS CHANGING
HOW YOU GUYS TEACH PEOPLE?
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE’RE GOING TO
MAKE SOME CHANGES, YOU KNOW,
HEIGHTENS LOCALLY OWNED AND
OPERATED. BUT WE’VE GOT THE
GREAT BACKING OF HAVING A
NATIONAL CORPORATION IS DOING
IT. TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
RESEARCH AND WORKING WITH
THESE FOLKS TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE
KIDS FOR THIS TEST. SO, YES,
WE WILL ABSOLUTELY MAKE SOME
CHANGES. BUT I DO THINK THAT,
YOU KNOW, THE CORE FOCUS OF
READING AND MATH SKILLS IS
STILL GOING TO NEED TO BE MORE
PREVALENT NOW, MORE THAN EVER.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND OF COURSE,
YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE TAKING
ONLINE IN THE COMFORT YOUR
HOME MUCH BETTER THAN SITTING
IN THOSE BRIGHT LIGHTS FOR
HOURS AT A TIME. AND THOSE ON
COMFY SEATS.
>> I ABSOLUTELY I THINK KIDS
ARE USED TO DOING THINGS LIKE
COMPUTERS NOW IS JUST GOING TO
BE SO MUCH MORE SECONDHAND
NATURE. THAT IS DOING A PEN
AND PAPER.
>>LAUREN VERNO: LISTEN, I’M SO
JEALOUS OF THESE KIDS. I GET
TO DO THAT BECAUSE I STILL
HAVE ANXIETY THINKING ABOUT
THOSE LIGHT SITTING THERE FOR
6 HOURS WITH YOUR MANDATORY
BREAKS.
>> WELL, HE WAS SO RIGHT THERE
WITH THE ABSOLUTELY. HAHA. ALL