The College Board recently announced, "When students open their SAT test books in spring 2016, they’ll
encounter an SAT that is more focused and useful than ever before. The
full specifications of the exam along with extensive sample items for
each section will be available on April 16, 2014. Major changes are
described below."
Not only are they redesigning the SAT, but they have also teamed with KHANAcademy to provide free SAT preparation material. Last September I blogged links to KHANAcademy and their library of subjects. I realize now that I was being lazy and should have put more effort into promoting what is likely one of the best educational resources available on the internet.
KHANAcademy provides a structured approach to each subject. Subjects are broken down into discreet skills that are "mind mapped." For each skill there is a tutorial that presents the material; for mathematics the tutorials present the method used to solve that particular type of problem. For each skill there are drills that are used to reenforce the material and to test the student's proficiency. The drills are progressive; wrong answers result in an increase in the number of questions needed to demonstrate mastery.
The KHANAcademy website includes a Learning Management System that can be used by either teachers or parents to coach their students. When using the LMS, a teacher or parent can assign skill goals and track each student's effort and progress.
Through their partnership with College Board, KHANAcademy has really stepped up its game. The College Board will initially be providing KHANAcademy with training material for the current version of the SAT. Once this has been fully implemented, they will begin to provide material to be used to prepare for the redesigned 2016 SAT.
This is an initiative that should be praised, it will provide opportunity for students that previously only existed at a considerable cost and was therefore not within the means of the majority. College Board standardized entrance examinations were originally developed to to recognize proficiency rather than privilege. This initiative is in keeping with that truly altruistic cause.
