The SAT/ACT: Helping, Not Hindering, URM Students
Jay Rosner, The Princeton Review FoundationRachel Fried, Making WavesWACAC Conference, June 10, 2014
Copyright © 2014 Jay Rosner
How Many Official SATs or ACTs Should A Student Plan To Take?
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How Many Times … ?
How many times should you plan to take the
official SAT or ACT?
Once. Prep well, and get it right the first time.
But, have a fallback date planned, only if
needed, and it’s better if you don’t use it.
Why not plan for 2, or 3, or more times?
Won’t the odds be better? Feeding the pig …
More is not always better in this domain.
More is not always better …
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Some Questions to Start
From students: Which test should I take? When? How many times? Should I do anything to prepare?
From counselors: how do I best answer those questions? Should my school target one test? If so, which one? Anything different for URMs?
For participants: Which is the prevalent test in your area? What are your initial questions? How has suggesting going to college changed?
Princeton Review Foundation,a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Advocacy: Test critic, ETS & AA litigation
Programs:
High schools (KIPP, etc.) – work w/staff to change culture
National & Regional Partnerships – Hispanic Scholarship Fund, HBCUs, Cherokee Nation Foundation, etc.
ACT & SAT (LSAT, GRE, GMAT & MCAT)
Some SAT/ACT Prep Models
School provides SAT/ACT prep instructionInternal, external, combination, independent
schools w/fee course incl. scholarship studentsThird party provides prep outside of school
Local nonprofit, national nonprofitSchool provides online prep resource
Lots of online providersKhan Academy! (Note: an online college
counseling program akin to Eliza)Students left on their own
Books/online in the library
Big Picture SAT/ACT Concepts
For students, pro-active (aggressive), prepared
SAT – guessing “penalty”; ACT – speeded
For schools, energized environment
Stamina for 3 - 3.75, role modeling
Confidence, calm from preparation
Language is important
Discomfort (not anxiety, fear, stress?), test skew
Reduce stereotype threat
High standards/ability, growth mindset
Average SAT (M + CR) Scores by Family Income and Race/Ethnicity (2001 Data)
Source: 2001 California SAT Report, The College Board
Number of SAT Takers Source: College Board web site
Number of ACT TakersSource: ACT Web Site
How Some Students See the SAT/ACT
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What Jay Tells Students: What Do the SAT/ACT
Measure?
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For Students: Jay’s Opinion ofWhat The SAT/ACT Measure
How intelligent you are? No.
How well you’ll do in college? No. (only helps somewhat in FY
GPA)How good you are on SAT/ACT?
YES !If you have a high test score, it means that
you’re good at the test. Can you improve your score?
YES! Here’s what you need to do …
Presentation to Students:What is “Preparing Intensively?”
ACT/SAT Prep minimums (course or self-study):1.5 - 2 hours per day, of high-quality practice …
building up to a few 3-3.75 hr/days in the week before the official test
5-6 days per week for 5-6 weeks, right up to the official test3-4 practice tests, spaced out properly.
Less risks a lower-than-your-best score. SMUS tale.
What I say to HS students …
Importance of Different SAT/ACT Prep Factors
Changing the school’s culture (or creating the culture) for SAT/ACT energy:
Students’ math & reading skills - 9th and 10th grade
An SAT/ACT prep course
Faculty support for students facing the SAT/ACT
Individual faculty support for students
Students’ ideas for test prep (asking for diag.)