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101303 New PSAT, Minus Writing Test, Will Be Introduced in Fall '04
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College Board will introduce a revamped PSAT in October 2004, five months before
it rolls out its new SAT, which will, for the first time, include a writing
sample. But there will be no writing sample on the new PSAT, a math and reading
test that 2.6 million high school students take each year both to practice for
the SAT and to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program.
College Board officials said the decision not to include an essay on the PSAT, reported yesterday in The Chronicle of Higher Education's online briefing, was based on both practical and financial considerations.
"There was no way that we could responsibly grade 2.6 million essays in a few days," said Beth Robinson, executive director of the PSAT. "It would also make the test much more expensive."
Instead, Ms. Robinson said, the College Board is providing schools with a free sample writing test and the criteria for grading it.
Some guidance counselors worry that the gap between the content of the PSAT and the content of the SAT will leave the class of 2006 somewhat less prepared for their most important test than previous classes have been — and lead even more of them to turn to expensive private test-preparation courses.
Even without the essay, the new PSAT will incorporate some of the changes coming to the SAT: analogy questions and quantitative comparisons will be added, and the verbal section, renamed "critical reading," will include some short reading passages.
But while the new SAT, to be introduced in March 2005 for the class of 2006, will be expanded to cover algebra II along with algebra I and geometry, the new PSAT, which is typically taken by younger students, will not include algebra II.
The PSAT was originally designed for juniors — and the junior-year exam is the only one considered for the National Merit program — but an increasing number of students are taking a practice PSAT as sophomores.
"It's only $10.50 and it's so useful that four states — Florida, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina — pay for their sophomores to take the PSAT," said Chiara Coletti, a spokeswoman for the board. "It's a very useful tool for getting kids ready for college."
Last month, the College Board even sent high school guidance counselors e-mail messages asking them to encourage their 10th graders to sign up for the October PSAT.
Many high school guidance counselors say that while they have mixed feelings about the College Board's aggressive promotion of its products — and about involving ever-younger students in the college admission frenzy — they do recommend that sophomores take the test.
"We've had lots of sophomores take the PSAT for a while, but we haven't encouraged it as much as we will this year," said Josephine McCaffrey, a guidance counselor at North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, N.J.
"It's good practice, and the colleges never see the PSAT scores, so even if I'm a little uncomfortable about pushing more of these tests, I don't want to miss out on something that could help students."