Anonymous wrote:I don't recall being given lessons on taking the SAT in school though- to teachers do it now? I recall getting some books to take practice tests, brushed up on vocab and algebra, but never had a private tutor or anything like that. I think the uncertainty as to what the new SAT will look like is causing anxiety- if it really is going to be aligned with CC, then what about students who aren't in CC.
I never took an SAT class or a practice test. I didn't even attend high school in this country, and yet I did quite well on the test the first time I took it. Many of the SAT questions that I answered correctly included things I had learned in Algebra or Geometry class, or words from books I read in English class. So yes, I received lessons in how to do well on the SAT in the early '80s.
Some of the changes in the new SAT to bring it into alignment with Common Core will include:
The writing prompt will be text based. That is, students will be asked to read a text and write a response to that particular text, rather than responding to a more general prompt.
Rather than answering questions about vocabulary in isolation, students will be asked to respond to questions about how vocabulary is used in context.
Just like with 2.0 and Common Core, there are also changes in the new SAT that have nothing to do with Common Core.
How will students perform who didn't study Common Core? Well, some of it depends on whether these skills are also developed in their own schools. But a great deal also depends on students overall literacy level. For example, a student who reads well and widely will be able to handle working with vocabulary in context, just like kids who read well and widely did well with analogies even though they usually weren't directly taught in school.