The state's move to begin offering high school juniors the
SAT college entrance exam after many years of ACT control has added an extra
layer of uncertainty for high schools.
Expect some degree of chaos in your school district as the learning
curve develops. Thousands of Illinois teachers comfortable in guiding students
to better ACT scores now find themselves in virgin territory.
One tutor notes, "The ACT tests reading, math, English
and science. The SAT is more of an aptitude test. What are you capable of
learning?"
Parents, don't believe for a minute that your child will
achieve comparable percentile ranks. Just as there are "left-brain"
people and "right-brain" thinkers, there are high performing ACT
scorers who can stumble through the SAT--and vice-versa.
Parents should consider having their student take both the standardized ACT and SAT tests so a comparison can be made on the best representative score results. If scores don't reflect your student's best realistic outcome, strongly consider working with a test-prep tutor who can strengthen weak areas. The goal is for a better score in a repeat test.
The winning College Board, which operates the SAT operation,
said, "More Illinois students will benefit ... from an assessment that
provides more information than ever before about a student's readiness."
A research company pegged the spending in the American test
prep industry around $4.3 billion in 2015. Is your student prepared for her/his
all-important SAT?
- Mike Ryan
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