Breaking: College Board Trades Out Questions on the SAT Digital Practice Tests
This past week, without advanced warning or subsequent announcement, the College Board modified the content of three of their six full-length SAT digital practice tests. The affected sections are the higher second modules of both the Math and Reading and Writing sections of tests 1-3. Questions which had previously appeared on both the higher and lower iterations of module 2 were removed and replaced with more difficult questions. A total of 14 questions were affected by this change.
Takeaways:
There have been reports from SAT test takers – including Onsen students – that some administrations of the digital test have been significantly more difficult than the official practice material provided by the College Board. This week’s modifications thus seem to be an attempt to rectify this inconsistency, albeit without clear and transparent communication to stakeholders.
Content that was added includes new Word In Context, Inferences, and Rhetorical Synthesis questions, as well as Exponential Functions, Similar Triangles, Completing the Square (Circles), and various difficult Algebra questions focused on unknown constants. We will continue to report on any further alterations to the official practice test and Question Bank material.
(Onsen Education) – 7/30/24
AP African American Studies Course Loses State Funding in Georgia
Georgia has become the latest state to reject funding for the Advanced Placement African American Studies program. Certain districts – such as DeKalb and Gwinnett counties inside and adjacent to Atlanta – will still offer the course but will need to use their own funds to administer it. Nevertheless, students who attend schools that are not in the position to self-fund the program will be locked out from taking the course.
Takeaways:
The AP African American course has been a source of controversy since its inception. The College Board, who administers and develops AP curriculum, was widely criticized for seemingly capitulating to pressure from the Florida Department of Education to change key course content. Governor Ron deSantis (R-FL) also sharply criticized the course in his “war against woke” and used it as a centerpiece in his (ultimately unsuccessful) bid for the White House.
Georgia schools superintendent Richard Woods announced that state funding would be pulled for the course on Wednesday and has since been met with scrutiny from various stakeholders, including the Georgia Federation of Teachers. Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) also had unanswered questions; he sent a letter to Woods the same day, strongly requesting answers surrounding the decision. It remains to be seen whether the Governor’s thinly-veiled disapproval will change the fate of the course in Georgia.
Georgia schools superintendent says no state funding for AP African American studies course (Axios Atlanta) – 7/24/24
University of Alabama Eliminates DEI Offices at All Three Campus Systems
This week, in order to comply with a new state law, all three University of Alabama (UA) campuses closed their diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. New offices opened up the same day at all three institutions: “The Office of Access and Engagement” at UA Birmingham, “The Office of Access, Connections and Engagement” at UA Huntsville, and “The Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success” at the UA main campus. Although it is not yet clear if there were internal staffing changes during the transition, all three new offices will be led by the former heads of the DEI offices at the respective schools. Therefore, it seems that the changes are in name alone. According to a statement from UA President Stuart R. Bell, “Our mission has not wavered, and we remain committed to our institutional goals to welcome all, serve all and see all thrive and succeed.”
Takeaways:
In March of this year, Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed legislation that bans diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at Alabama public schools, universities, and state agencies. The law also prohibits the teaching of eight “divisive concepts,” including that “any individual should accept, acknowledge, affirm, or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to apologize on the basis of his or her race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.” The legislation also effectively bans gender-neutral bathrooms on college and university campuses. The law goes into effect on October 1st.
Alabama universities shutter DEI offices to comply with new state law (ABC News) – 7/23/24
A Working FAFSA Form More Important Than a TImely One
On Tuesday, a consortium of higher ed associations including the National College Attainment Network, sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel A. Cardona, expressing the need for a fully functional FAFSA this fall – even if it is necessary for the form to be delayed by up to two months. “We are wrestling with the trade-off between timeliness and functionality,” the letter states, “and have concluded that the consequences of releasing a product that does not come with full end-to-end functionality for students, families, state agencies, and aid administrators would be too great.”
Takeaways:
The rollout of the 2023-24 FAFSA form was disastrous, with the revised form missing its October 1st launch date by nearly three months and, when finally live, being plagued by crucial glitches. Key financial miscalculations by the U.S Department of Ed compounded the problem, leaving admissions departments scrambling to prepare timely financial aid offers. All told, the system failed some high-need students: FAFSA submissions ended up down by about 7 percent from the previous year. In the wake of this botched rollout, the U.S. House of Representatives recently advanced a bill that would require the DOE to release the FAFSA by October 1 2024. Many stakeholders are wary of a repeat of last year’s fiasco and oppose a hard-and–fast deadline. Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy for National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, expressed concern over congress’ approach. “Forcing an October 1 deadline this year does not guarantee a fully functioning form, and may in fact work against efforts to release a product that has been tested and found to run smoothly.”
Better Late Than Broken: Associations Say ‘Fully Functional’ FAFSA Is Paramount for the Fall (Chronicle of Higher Education) – 7/23/24
California Poised For New State-Specific Bar Exam
California will be shifting – as early as February 2025 – to administer its own bar exam. The state bar’s board of trustees has finalized a $8.25 million deal with Kaplan for the test prep company to develop bar exam questions, confirming that the state of California will not be switching to the revised version of the bar exam (The NextGen bar) that will be administered starting in July 2026. While the new national exam will only be offered in person, the Kaplan-designed California bar will be available to examinees remotely or in small testing centers.
Takeaways:
Law school hopefuls in California currently take a form of the bar that includes five state-specific essays and a 90-minute performance exam as well as a 200-questions from the Multistate Bar Exam. The new questions designed by Kaplan will replace the Multistate portion of the exam. California’s decision to develop its own exam is mostly financial, with the move projected to save the state up to $4 million annually; however, state’s bar administration also claims the move will benefit law school applicants, with a remote exam saving testers travel expenses.
California forges ahead with plan to give its own bar exam in 2025 (Reuters) – 7/19/24
Dismissal of UT Austin Affirmative Action Case a Setback for Conservative Advocacy Group
On Monday, a U.S. district judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), striking a blow to the conservative non-profit that initially brought the case against race-conscious admissions to the U.S. Supreme Court. The latest suit claimed that University of Texas at Austin continued to use unlawful affirmative action-driven admissions practices after the Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions last June. Judge Robert Pitman ruled that UT Austin’s policies have remained lawful under the constitution’s 14th amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance”
Takeaways:
The case had been initially raised by Students for Fair Admissions in 2020. It was dismissed in 2021, but the group has since appealed. David Hinojosa, the director of the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, celebrated the dismissal as a win for diversity on campus: “The Lawyers’ Committee, together with our partners, remain committed to defending students’ rights, promoting diversity and justice, and ensuring equal opportunities for all qualified students. We are undeterred by (SFFA)’s attempts to compromise fairness and civil rights.”
Judge throws out rightwing affirmative action lawsuit against Texas university (The Guardian) – 7/19/24
AP Score “Recalibration” Called Into Question
Since 2021, seven key AP subject tests have undergone a “recalibration”, which seems to have inflated student scores. Over the last three years, nearly 500,000 more AP English Lit, AP World History, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP U.S. History, and AP U.S. Government and Politics students received scores of 3 or higher than those that would have if the College Board had not recalibrated the exams’ scoring. The College Board contends that its recalibration is the necessary result of shifting student performance in U.S high schools. In a statement released surrounding the scoring change, the company sees these processes as vital in “ensur(ing) that AP Exam scores achieve the ‘predictive validity’ that has been a hallmark of the AP Program for decades.”
Takeaways:
Some believe that the College Board had other motives for recalibrating AP score rubrics, namely to increase the program’s market share over other college credit alternatives such as the International Baccalaureate (IB). Data suggests that the IB may be a more straightforward and cost-effective path for low income students to earn college credits, but the AP is still the option with the highest cachet in the U.S. In fact, the AP has expanded exponentially in recent decades and now generates roughly $500 million per year for the College Board – $90 million of which is from government funding. Despite the AP’s success, the College Board’s lack of transparency does not help to inspire confidence in the company’s public rationale behind the revised AP scoring metrics. College Board released data, which was formerly easily accessible, is now limited or difficult to decipher. According to John Moscatiello, founder of Macro Learning, “There is no reason to doubt the efficacy of this [College Board] research, but since almost none of it is publicly available, there is no reason to accept it at face value either,”
Why Are Advanced Placement Scores Suddenly So Much Higher? (Forbes) – 7/16/24
Extra Admissions Step for GMAT – but not GRE – Testers at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is now requiring applicants who submit GMAT scores to take a 30-minute writing test if they are invited to an admissions interview. This policy change is a direct response to the Graduate Management Admissions Council removing the writing section from the revised version of the GMAT test. Applicants who submit the GRE, which includes its own writing section, will not have to take this supplemental test.
Takeaways:
The proliferation of AI-based writing tools is the main reasoning behind HBS mandating that students include a standardized writing sample. The built-in writing section, thus, at least at the moment, makes the GRE a more attractive option for some B-school hopefuls. Further complicating matters for GMAT students is the question of access. Although the required supplemental writing test, the GMAC Business Writing Assessment, is created by the GMAT test makers, there is not currently a way for students to sign up for this test. GMAC is currently rushing to rectify this issue as other business schools are likely to follow Harvard’s lead.GMAT Test Takers To Harvard Business School May Have To Take An Extra Test (Poets & Quants) – 7/14/24
Written by
Zachary Adler
Since 2010, Zach has been helping students achieve their college readiness goals, specializing in all sections of the SAT, ACT, PSAT, and SHSAT. Prior to joining Onsen, Zach worked for a global investment firm, as well as in various roles in the education space. He has served as a youth mentor and has run college readiness information sessions for students in under-resourced communities. Additionally, Zach is a writer and filmmaker. He is an International Baccalaureate scholar and a graduate of Boston University.