University of California President Richard Atkinson will be
leaving office today, two years after catalyzing nationwide changes
in standardized college entrance examinations.
As a result of Atkinson’s recommendations, in 2005,
students across the country will begin taking a drastically
revamped version of the SAT.
Like many in the academic community, President Atkinson had long
been concerned about standardized tests. But after visiting
competitive college preparatory schools and researching the SAT, he
was particularly disturbed by the immense amount of time, energy
and money that people spent preparing for the exam.
So he decided to take an action that many UC officials describe
as one of the most important parts of his legacy.
In a February 2001 speech to the American Council on Education,
Atkinson recommended that the University of California evaluate
applicants in a more holistic way, using standardized tests in a
limited manner to “illuminate the students total
record.”
In his speech, he affirmed his support of standardized tests,
but he said that they should test “specific subject areas
rather than undefined notions of “˜aptitude’ or
“˜intelligence'” ““ which he said the SAT did
not do well.
The UC Board of admissions had discussed the concern over the
effectiveness of standardized tests for many years, but
Atkinson’s comments put SAT reform back on their immediate
agenda.
In a 2002 report, the board confirmed Atkinson’s assertion
that neither the current SAT or ACT exams were adequate.
The report recommended that standardized tests be used to
measure students’ mastery of college preparatory classes in
high school, and that they cover reading, writing and
mathematics.
The board also found that while a student’s performance on
the SAT II gives admissions officers a good idea about a
student’s ability to succeed in college, SAT results have
very little predictive ability.
In July, the UC regents gave provisional approval of a plan
which would require UC applicants to take either the new SAT or the
ACT and its optional 30-minute writing test, and two SAT II exams.
The provisional period will last from 2005 to 2007.
While the College Board has updated their test before, Atkinson
was clearly a force in the current drastic revision.
“The College Board is always reexamining the test … But
President Atkinson’s comments made us focus more quickly on
making these changes,” said Sandra Riley, associate director
for public relations at the College Board.
The verbal section of the new SAT will be significantly
different from the one most college students remember.
Riley describes the new verbal portion ““ now called
critical reading ““ as a reading assessment. Analogies will be
replaced by an expanded critical reading section, and the test will
include a 25-minute writing section. The math portion will be
expanded to include questions on algebra II.
The college board has 1,375 colleges and universities across the
nation, and many of them will be requiring the new SAT in 2005.
The University of Michigan and Yale University are among the
institutions outside California who will be requiring either the
new SAT or the new ACT in 2005.
Joel Seguine, a media relations spokesperson for the University
of Michigan, recognized Atkinson’s indirect influence on the
standardized tests their university system will use.
“In a general way Atkinson’s influence played a part
because his influence on the College Board benefitted higher
education and our process,” Seguine said.