Today, the Michigan Department of Education announced that beginning in the spring of 2016 High School Juniors will not be given the SAT assessment, instead of the traditional ACT. Since 2008, Michigan students have taken the ACT assessment and our students have met this challenge head on for the last six years. For example, the average composite score of a Michigan student in 2008 was a 19.6. In 2014, the average composite was a 20.1. Here at Byron Center Charter School the average composite score in 2014 was 20.1, which was higher than both the GVSU Charter School average (17.3) and the State of Michigan average (19.8). Why the change in going to the SAT instead of the ACT? The press release sent out by the Michigan Department of Education states that the College Board, which oversees the creation and administration of the SAT, won the state contract through a bidding process in which their bid was $15.4 million lower than their closest competition (Michigan Department of Education, 2015). Michael Boulus, the executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, says in a Detroit News article, “It's very clear from the news release that this was done purely out of cost savings, with little concern for the students and the admissions process we've been using for years. You just don't reverse that” (Higgins, 2015). Schools and educators have invested countless time, energy, and money into preparing our students for the ACT assessment, which is also used as an entrance requirement for the majority of Michigan’s colleges and universities. This change does come as a surprise to me due to all the uncertainty facing the state in regards to a possible new state curriculum, new assessments to take over for the abandoned MEAP, and the planned overhaul of school accountability methods. What makes the shift even more concerning is that the College Board has previously announced that they planned a complete overhaul of the assessment beginning in 2016. Even college leaders have yet to see the proposed changes to the SAT and how it will alter the assessment. In other words, the state of Michigan has decided to abandon the one consistent piece of their school assessment model (the ACT) in the face of daunting educational inconsistencies.
So the big question being asked by parents across the state is: what is the difference? The ACT is a content knowledge based assessment that has five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. The questions on the ACT are traditionally much easier for students to decipher and students are not penalized for incorrect answers. While the SAT focuses on reasoning and only assess Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The questions can be very confusing for students to decipher and students lose a quarter of a point for any incorrect or incomplete answer. So, on the surface the ACT tends to fit the unique needs of all of Michigan’s students much better than the SAT. The state does list in their press release the steps they plan on taking in helping schools get prepared for this change through Professional Development, training, and providing preparation materials. I assure you the teachers and staff of Byron Center Charter School will work diligently in preparing our students for this new challenge, the same way we met the ACT challenge head on.
References:
Higgins, L. (2015, January 7). Michigan to dump act for sat as high school requirement. Detroit News. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/01/07/michigan-replaces-act-sat/21385299/
Michigan Department of Education. (2015). State awards future college assessment to college board. Retrieved from website: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140--344785--,00.html
Articles to Read:
ACT vs SAT: Key differences between the ACT and SAT: http://www.studypoint.com/ed/act-vs-sat/
The SAT vs. the ACT: http://www.princetonreview.com/sat-act.aspx
So the big question being asked by parents across the state is: what is the difference? The ACT is a content knowledge based assessment that has five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. The questions on the ACT are traditionally much easier for students to decipher and students are not penalized for incorrect answers. While the SAT focuses on reasoning and only assess Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The questions can be very confusing for students to decipher and students lose a quarter of a point for any incorrect or incomplete answer. So, on the surface the ACT tends to fit the unique needs of all of Michigan’s students much better than the SAT. The state does list in their press release the steps they plan on taking in helping schools get prepared for this change through Professional Development, training, and providing preparation materials. I assure you the teachers and staff of Byron Center Charter School will work diligently in preparing our students for this new challenge, the same way we met the ACT challenge head on.
References:
Higgins, L. (2015, January 7). Michigan to dump act for sat as high school requirement. Detroit News. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/01/07/michigan-replaces-act-sat/21385299/
Michigan Department of Education. (2015). State awards future college assessment to college board. Retrieved from website: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140--344785--,00.html
Articles to Read:
ACT vs SAT: Key differences between the ACT and SAT: http://www.studypoint.com/ed/act-vs-sat/
The SAT vs. the ACT: http://www.princetonreview.com/sat-act.aspx