madteaparty Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/new-sat-new-problems/384596/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I am not sure what kind of point the article is trying to make, but whatever it is, the examples are poorly chosen. The first question interpreting a graph is of a type that has long been part of the ACT science section. Nothing Earth shattering there. The second question should be answerable to anybody with reading comprehension and common sense; it does not take study of statistics to guess that more people in the study should reduce the error, and it takes reading comprehension to see that they are specifically talking about psych majors and thus, the group investigated, should consist of psych majors. There are probably many things I would critique about the new SAT math section (of we'd finally get to see the whole thing!), but the above - not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I agree that it was more whining. That an ESL student might be disadvantaged in an English language college readiness test should cause no one to drop their cup of coffee in shock. I just posted it for general interest :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Both the easy questions examples were covered in 6th grade math so I don't understand the complain/resistance. The forex question just needs to be worked out and again is covered before algebra. A child does not need to travel outside of US to understand barter trade which is what Forex is fundamentally about. ETA: Actually even my ESL dad can interpret a straight line graph to mean positive correlation. Key words for math are taught in math classes to ESL children in public schools. ETA: I'm assuming suitable/appropriate accommodations are given for LDs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The chief complaint that I see is tying the math scores even more to strong English fluency (already many of the math questions depend on reading skills; the changes increase that dependency significantly). This is a home school board with lots of well-prepared kids with strong thinking skills, but I work regularly with many, many high school kids who are going to find the language part of the math questions a huge challenge - both native English speakers as well as ESL students. Not casting moral judgment on it, just noting the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My own math excellent kids would find too many of these problems simply draining as they have dyslexia and if takes a lot of effort to READ the problem. I agree that the content of the problems is easy and I think tests reading comprehension as much as math skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My own math excellent kids would find too many of these problems simply draining as they have dyslexia and if takes a lot of effort to READ the problem. I agree that the content of the problems is easy and I think tests reading comprehension as much as math skills. Absolutely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Another article "Why you should worry about the new SAT test" http://www.thecollegesolution.com/why-you-should-worry-about-the-new-sat-test/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 My own math excellent kids would find too many of these problems simply draining as they have dyslexia and if takes a lot of effort to READ the problem. I agree that the content of the problems is easy and I think tests reading comprehension as much as math skills. :iagree: DS has an IEP but I don't know how likely it is that the CB will give him the time allowances/time needed to slough through all the words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Another article "Why you should worry about the new SAT test" http://www.thecollegesolution.com/why-you-should-worry-about-the-new-sat-test/ It was good to see that article talk about the privileging of processing speed, and how the new SAT does not fix that. I know the CB keeps touting how these skills better reflect the skills needed in college, but college and especially grad school success also depend on hard work, good analysis and innovative thinking - all things slow processers often excel at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yes, I hate that we have to deal with this. One blog recommended taking the "old" SAT in the fall and then the "new" SAT in the spring so you have both versions for college admissions. I don't know yet what we're going to do that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 It was good to see that article talk about the privileging of processing speed, and how the new SAT does not fix that. I know the CB keeps touting how these skills better reflect the skills needed in college, but college and especially grad school success also depends on hard work, good analysis and innovative thinking - all things slow processers often excel at.I had a similar reaction looking at the released test for the redesigned AP US History exam. So much reading to get through on the test. And then several of the questions were quite cryptic. There was argument about a couple items within the AP Teacher community. But it did leave me wondering how a kid who was a slower reader would be able to cope with the test. I have a fast reader but that's not the be all and end all of historical thinking. It matters more what he does with the things he reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Looking ahead for my dyslexic dd2, extra time is not really going to solve the SAT problem for her. That much reading, especially on the math section (where numbers normally provide a bit of a mental break) will be so exhausting for her that I can't imagine any decent score coming out of a testing session. She is currently at grade level with reading, but it takes a huge amount of effort and fatigue really wreaks havoc with her comprehension. She will be ready for college, bright and a demon hard worker, but that test might say otherwise. I do dislike the college board with all my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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