Understanding Standardized Testing:
A Deeper Look
History and Background
Developed more than 80 years ago as
a tool to help democratize higher
education access for all students, the
SAT ® has grown to become the
world’s most widely used college
entrance exam.
The SAT continues to evolve and
improve to meet the needs of a
dynamic education landscape.
However, the SAT has always served
the primary mission of the College
Board: to connect students to college
opportunity and success.
®
What is the SAT ?
A Measure of College Readiness
A Predictor of College Outcomes
The SAT evaluates the cognitive tools
necessary to succeed in college and
beyond, including
the ability to:
Is a valid predictor of meaningful
college outcomes on a student’s path to
a college degree, including:
–
Think critically
–
Freshman Year GPA
–
Solve problems
–
2nd, 3rd and 4th year GPAs
–
Communicate effectively
–
College Retention
What’s On The Test…
The SAT® assesses the core academic skills necessary for college success and
how students apply those skills.
Critical Reading
200 - 800

Short (paragraph) and
long (up to 800 word)
passages

48 questions, make
inferences, draw
conclusions

19 sentence completion
questions
Mathematics
200 - 800


44 multiple-choice
items, 10 studentproduced response
items
Number & Operations,
Algebra, Geometry,
Data Analysis
Writing
200 - 800

25 minute essay, take
sides on an accessible
topic

49 multiple-choice
grammar/usage
questions

Essay sub-score 2-12
Every SAT® Knowledge and Skills Topic is
represented in the Common Core State Standards
The knowledge and skills covered on the SAT are directly linked to what
students are learning in the classroom
SAT Critical Reading
Knowledge and Skills Topics

SAT Mathematics
Knowledge and Skills Topics
Determining the Meaning
of Words

Number & Operations

Algebra & Functions

Author’s Craft

Geometry & Measurement

Reasoning and Inference


Organization and Ideas
Data, Statistics &
Probability

Understanding Literary
Elements

Problem Solving

Representation

Connections

Communication
SAT Writing
Knowledge and Skills Topics

Manage Word Choice and
Grammatical Relationships
Between Words

Manage Grammatical
Structures Used to Modify
or Compare

Manage Phrases and
Clauses in a Sentence

Recognize Correctly
Formed Sentences

Manage Order and
Relationships of
Sentences and
Paragraphs
Source: Vasavada, N., Carman, E., Hart, B. Luisier, D.; Common Core State Standards Alignment:
®
Students enrolled in a core curriculum
perform better on the SAT®
Students who take a core curriculum in high school perform better on the SAT and
are better prepared for college than students who do not.
SAT® Mean Scores by Curriculum
+47 points
+48 points
Score
+48 points
Source: College-Bound Seniors 2011 Cohort Data
Core curriculum is
defined by at least
four years of
English, and at
least three years of
mathematics, three
years of natural
science, and three
years of social
science and
history.
Students enrolled in rigorous courses
perform stronger on the SAT ®
Students enrolled in AP ® or Honors English outperform the general SAT
populations in all sections of the SAT.
Score
SAT Mean Scores by AP or Honors English Participation
+59 points
+46 points
+58 points
Source: College-Bound Seniors 2011 Cohort Data
Students enrolled in rigorous courses
perform stronger on the SAT ®
Students enrolled in AP ® or Honors Mathematics outperform the general SAT
populations in all sections of the SAT.
SAT Mean Scores by AP or Honors Math Participation
+76 points
+64 points
Score
+64 points
Source: College-Bound Seniors 2011 Cohort Data
High school grades are increasing over
time
The need for a consistent national measure is more important than ever as high
school grades have been increasing over time.
Percentage of Students by Self-Reported High School GPA
Grade Average for All Subjects*
1991
1996
2001
2006
2011
3.10
3.20
3.28
3.33
3.34
*Based on four-point system, where A=4.0
Note: 1990 GPAs reflect both SAT Subject Test™ takers and SAT ® takers. GPAs for 1995-2010 reflect
SAT® takers only.
West Ed Alignment | Summary of Findings
Competency
UC – Academic
Literacy
SAT Alignment
ACT Alignment
Critical Reading: 90% Strong, 10% Implicit (B8)
Writing: 100% Strong (B8)
Reading: 85% Strong, 13% Implicit, 2%
None
Essay: 3 standards aligned
English: 100% Strong
Essay: 3 standards aligned
UC –
Mathematics
CA – English
Language Arts
(Grades 9-10)
Mathematics: 85% Strong, 13% Partial, 2% Implicit
Mathematics: 82% Strong, 12% Partial
Critical Reading: 66% Strong, 34% None (B8)
Writing: 100% Strong (B8)
Reading: 25% Strong, 8% Partial, 67%
None
Essay: 5 standards aligned
English: 100% Strong
Essay: 5 standards aligned
CA – English
Language Arts
(Grades 11-12)
Critical Reading: 37% Strong, 63% None (B1)
Reading: 40% Strong, 60% None
Writing: 98% Strong, 2% None (B1)
English: 97% Strong, 3% None
Essay: 5 standards aligned
Essay: 5 standards aligned
CA –
Mathematics
Mathematics: 63% Strong, 35% Partial, 2% None
SAT II 3YBC: 82% Strong, 12% Partial, 6% None
Mathematics: 77% Strong, 22% Partial, 1%
None
CA – Science
SAT II Physics: 57% Strong, 23% Partial, 20% None
Science: 0% Strong, 3% Partial, 97% None
SAT II Chemistry: 58% Strong, 32% Partial, 10%
None
SAT II Biology: 39% Strong, 17% Partial, 44% None
*All information taken from WestEd SAT/ACT Alignment Study
SAT® Participation
More students are planning for college as
evidenced by the increase in SAT ® participation
The SAT reaches more students than ever before while the number of
graduating high school seniors in the U.S. has decreased.
SAT Participation Relative to
U.S. High School Graduates
SAT Participation by Cohort
1,647,123
2007
2008
1,597,329
6%
% Change vs. 2007 Cohort
1,534,457
1,563,272
1,573,110
2009
2010
US High School
Graduates
US SAT Takers
2011
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
2007
2008
Source: 2011 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Report; WICHE (2008)
2009
2010
2011
The SAT® Is reaching more
underserved students
The SAT is reaching more low-income and first-generation students who are
traditionally underserved in the college-going process.
2011 SAT Takers  Beneficiaries of
the SAT Fee-Waiver Program
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
198,729
230,080
2011 SAT Takers  Prospective
First-Generation College Goers
2007
487,113
2008
483,842
2009
269,015
309,289
351,068
77% increase in SAT Fee-Waiver usage since 2007
Represents more than $37 million in fees and services
Source: 2011 College-Bound Seniors
2010
2011
507,782
533,731
545,010
The SAT ® is the most diverse U.S.
college entrance exam
43% of SAT takers report an ethnic or racial background other than Caucasian
2011 College-Bound Seniors by Race/Ethnicity
1%
11%
American Indian
Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
13%
Black
53%
White
15%
Hispanic/Latino
9,244
Asian, Asian American, or
Pacific Islander
183,853
Black or African American
215,816
Mexican or Mexican
American
99,166
Puerto Rican
26,520
Other Hispanic, Latino, or
Latin American
127,017
White
865,660
Other
58,699
No Response
61,148
4%
4%
Other
No Response
Note: Due to rounding, percentages do not add up to 100.
Minority SAT ® takers are increasing at a
faster rate than U.S. public high school grads
The growth rate of SAT takers is highest for racial and ethnic minority sub-groups
SAT Test Takers and HS Graduates: Growth Since 2007
50.0%
US SAT Testers - Afr. Amer
US Public HS Grads - Afr. Amer
40.0%
US SAT Testers - Hispanic
US Public HS Grads - Hispanic
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2007
2008
2009
Source: 2011 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Report; WICHE (2008)
2010
2011
SAT® reflects the diversity of the
nation’s classrooms
SAT participation closely reflects the distribution of minority students graduating
from U.S. public schools.
US Public School
SAT Takers
US Public School
Graduates
84% of SAT Takers
report attending
public school
Source: 2011 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Report; WICHE (2008)
SAT ® Validity
Why is Predictive Validity important?
Predictive Validity refers to the ability of a factor
(e.g. test scores) to predict future performance.
For colleges and universities, it is important to
understand how well factors used for college
admissions or placement predict desired academic
outcomes
–
Factors (predictors) - typically include high school
grades, SAT ® scores or class rank
–
Academic Outcomes – GPA, retention, course grades
The measurement of how well predictors do is usually expressed as a
correlation (from +1.0 to -1.0)
National SAT ® Validity Study
Cross-institutional,
longitudinal validity and
higher education research
informing ways to ensure
that students are ready for
and successful in college.
National SAT Validity Study*
Data supplied by four-year institutions
from around the U.S. and matched to
College Board data.
• 110 institutions
• 216,081 students
Broad institutional characteristics
• Size
• Public/Private
• Geographic distribution
• Selectivity
* College Board Research and Development Database, 2007 Cohort
The SAT ® is a strong predictor of first
year college performance
The SAT continues to predict just as well as high school grades. When used
together, grades and SAT scores are the best predictors of college performance
Correlation* of SAT® and High
School GPA to First-Year College
GPA
Predictor
Correlation
SAT Mathematics
.49
SAT Critical Reading
.50
SAT Writing
.53
Combined SAT
(CR + M + W)
.56
High School GPA
.56
SAT Total + High School
GPA
.64
Each section is a valid and strong predictor
of college performance
The combined SAT predicts as well as high
school GPA
The SAT in combination with HSGPA is the
best predictor of college performance
* Correlations corrected for restriction of range
Source: Patterson, B.; Mattern, K.; Kobrin, J.; Validity of the SAT for Predicting FYGPA: 2007 SAT Validity
What does a correlation of .56 mean?
The SAT® provides a meaningful prediction of how students
will perform in their first year of college.
Freshman GPA of B or Higher
% Earning B or higher
100%
89%
74%
80%
54%
60%
33%
40%
20%
18%
8%
0%
600-890
900-1190
1200-1490
1500-1790
1800-2090
2100-2400
SAT Scores: Mathematics + Critical Reading + Writing
Source: Patterson, B.; Mattern, K.; Kobrin, J.; Validity of the SAT for Predicting FYGPA: 2007 SAT Validity
Other Correlation Examples for
Context
Variable 1
Variable 2
Sugar
Consumption
Aspirin
Child’s Behavior
.00
Heart Attack Death
.02
Lead Exposure
Child IQ
.12
Parental Divorce
Child Well-Being
.09
Ibuprofen
.14
Viagra
Pain Reduction
Aggressive
Behavior
Sexual Functioning
Gender
Height
.67
Alcohol
Correlation
.23
.38
From: Meyer, G., et. al. (2001). Psychological testing and psychological assessment: A review of
evidence and issues. American Psychologist, 56, 128-165.
SAT ® Scores Still Matter, Even After
Controlling for High School GPA
Mean FYGPA by SAT Score Band, Controlling for HSGPA
4.0
600 - 890
1500 - 1790
SAT
900 - 1190
1800 - 2090
1200 - 1490
2100 - 2400
3.56
3.5
3.34
FYGPA
Freshman Year GPA
3.15
3.09
2.94
3.0
2.79
2.74
2.47
2.5
2.54
2.27
2.26
2.22
2.12
2.0
1.98
2.52
2.51
1.98
1.81
1.5
1.0
C or Lower
B
HSGPA
A
The SAT® continues to predict college
outcomes through students’ 2nd and 3rd years
The relationship between SAT scores and cumulative GPA remains strong
and consistent as students progress through their college career.
100%
Percent of Students Earning a 2nd Yr and 3rd Yr Cum GPA of a B or
Higher by SAT Score Band
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
600 - 1190
1200 - 1490
2nd Year Cum GPA
1500 - 1790
1800 - 2090
2100 - 2400
3rd Year Cum GPA
Source: Patterson, B.; Mattern, K.; Kobrin, J.; Validity of the SAT for Predicting Second-Year Grades: 2006
SAT Validity Sample; College Board, 2011; Patterson, B.; Mattern, K.; Kobrin, J.; Validity of the SAT
The SAT® continues to predict college persistence
College Retention Rates by SAT Score Band
The SAT ® provides incremental validity
over HSGPA in predicting college retention
Once again we see that the SAT in combination with High School grades
provides a greater understanding of how students might perform
Incremental Validity of SAT Scores over HSGPA for Predicting Second Year Retention
1.00
0.94
0.88
0.90
0.89
0.89
0.83
0.82
0.80
0.74
0.70
0.77
0.76
0.72
0.70
0.63
0.64
0.60
0.50
0.40
≤C
600 - 1190
B
1200 - 1490
1500 - 1790
A
1800 - 2090
2100 - 2400
Source: Patterson, B.; Mattern, K.; The Relationship between SAT Scores and Retention to the Second
0.96
The SAT ® helps predict four-year graduation rates
Rates by score band with continuous enrollment at original institution
4 Yr Graduation Rate
100%
80%
75%
62%
60%
47%
40%
20%
32%
18%
21%
0%
600-890
900-1190 1200-1490 1500-1790 1800-2090 2100-2400
SAT Composite
The SAT ® provides incremental validity over
HSGPA in predicting four-year graduation rates
Four-Year Graduation Rates by SAT Scores, holding HSGPA constant
100%
80%
600-890
900-1190
1200-1490
1500-1790
1800-2090
2100-2400
76%
65%
Graduation Rate
61%
60%
52%
40%
52%
40%
37%
29%
24%
28%
24%
20%
20%
20%
18%19%
11%
0%
A
B
HSGPA
≤C
External validity studies confirm the
value and validity of the SAT ®
University of Minnesota
• “SAT retains virtually all of its predictive power when SES is
controlled”
• After controlling for SES, SAT scores are still related to college
grades (correlation of .44)
University of Georgia
• SAT-Writing scores are the most predictive at predicting academic
achievement
• For every 100-point increase in SAT-Writing there is a .07-point increase
in Freshman GPA and a .18-point increase in Freshman English
University of California
• In 2004 study, HSGPA was slightly more predictive than SAT V+M
• In 2006 study, SAT CR+M+W was slightly more predictive than HSGPA
Sources: University of Minnesota - (Sackett, Kuncel, Arneson, Waters, and Cooper, 2009); University
of Georgia (Cornwell, Mustard, and Parys, 2008); University of California (Agronow, 2007)
SAT ® Fairness
SAT ® score performance does vary by
sub-group
The existence of score gaps amongst different groups does not
necessarily indicate that the assessment is unfair or biased.
2011 SAT Score Performance by Ethnicity
650
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
Critical Reading
484
Mathematics
488
Writing
465
Asian
517
595
528
Black
428
427
417
Hispanic
451
463
444
White
528
535
516
American Indian
Source: 2011 College-Bound Seniors
The achievement gap exists among many
measures of academic achievement and attainment
Unfortunately, inequities in American society and education exist as
evidenced by multiple academic measures
Academic Achievement
Academic Attainment
SAT® College Bound Seniors 2011
1437
1640
1272
1358
High School Graduates
1579
79.9
American Indian
Average CR+M+W
American Indian
Asia n
Black
His panic
White
2.69
2.84
Asia n
3.09
N/A
American Indian
Black
His panic
92.3
Black
His panic
66
41
White
47
% National six-year graduation rates of
bachelor's degree-seeking students, 2007
American Indian
Asia n
73.2
White
College Graduates
39
Average GPA
84.9
% - Percent of population age 18-24 with a
high school credential, 2006
Average High School GPA 2009
3.26
96.2
Asia n
Black
His panic
Sources: 2011 College-Bound Seniors; U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, High School Transcript Study (HSTS), various years, 1990–2009. National Center for Higher
59
White
Achievement gaps persist beyond
undergraduate studies
African
Americans
Asian
Americans
Hispanics
Caucasian
s
SAT Verbal
434
498
456
526
SAT Math
426
526
460
528
ACT Composite
17.1
21.8
18.9
21.7
GRE Verbal
391
487
438
495
GRE Quant
416
598
482
540
GMAT
416
533
492
531
LSAT
142.7
152.7
145.2
153.5
TEST
The SAT ® is rigorously developed and
researched to ensure fairness
–
The SAT® is the most
rigorously researched
and designed standardized
test in the world.
Every question is field-tested
across the entire testing
population
• All 50 U.S. states
• Over 170 countries
every question goes through a
sensitivity review to avoid
concerns with:
• Gender
• Ethnicity/Race
• Disabilities
• Controversial topics like war,
violence and politics
Regular Curriculum Surveys
• Ensure the content on the SAT aligns with
what is taught in high school and what
colleges expect entering freshman to know
and understand
–
Test Development Committees
• Comprised of high school and college
faculty review all test items and test forms
–
Pre-Test (variable section)
• Field tests new items to collect statistics
about item performance, ensure fairness
for students of all backgrounds and that
students of equal ability perform the same
–
Rigorous Psychometric Analysis
• Evaluates the performance of each item to
validate that items are performing as
expected
Eliminating Questions that Behave
Differently for Groups of Students
Gardens in one form or another has been planted, tended, and
harvested since antiquity by people from a wide variety of
cultures. No error.
Easier/more difficult for which gender or racial/ethnic group(s),
matched on total score?
African Americans – more difficult
Asian Americans – more difficult
The SAT ® holds as a valid predictor of
college performance by all sub-groups
When we evaluate the predictive validity of the SAT by racial/ethnic subgroups we see that SAT continues to be a strong and valid predictor of
college performance, in most cases even more so than high school GPA
Correlation* of SAT® and High School GPA to First-Year College GPA
by Race/Ethnicity
RACE/ETHNICITY
SAT
HSGPA
SAT+HSGPA
(CR+M+W)
American Indian
.54
.49
.63
Asian American
.48
.47
.56
African American
.47
.44
.54
Hispanic
.50
.46
.57
White
.53
.56
.63
Total
.56
.56
.64
The SAT in combination with HSGPA
remains the best predictor of college
performance across all sub-groups
Extensive external research confirms
that the SAT ® is not biased
There is a substantial body of
literature indicating that individual
item bias has been largely
mitigated in today’s admission test
due to extensive external research
and development of question items
on both the SAT and ACT®.
-NACAC Testing Commission Report
-September 2008
Interpreting and Comparing Scores
Interpreting SAT Scores
• Each section score is reported on a 200- to 800- point scale, each
section is an independently valid predictor of college success.
• The Writing sub-score is a combination of a multiple-choice score
from 20-80 (70%) and an essay score from 2 to 12 (30%)
•
Each essay is independently graded by two qualified readers
• The SAT is designed so that a student who answers about half of
the questions correctly will receive an average score of
approximately 500.
• Scores on any standardized assessment are approximations rather
than precise measures of skill. The standard error of measure
(SEM) of the SAT usually falls in a range of 30 points for reading
and mathematics and 40 points for writing above or below a
student’s true skill level.
• When comparing scores there must be a difference of 50-60 points
before more skill can be assumed in one area than another.
Comparing SAT ® and ACT ® scores
• The ACT and SAT are scored
on different scales
• The concordance table
provides a way for individuals
and institutions to compare a
student’s performance on one
exam with their likely
performance on a second
exam
• Comparing percentiles is not
accurate because the pools of
students taking the two tests
are different
Note: The concordance table is based on
scores from over 300k students who took
both versions of the tests with writing from
the Class of 2006
The population of students taking the SAT® perform better
than the population taking the ACT ® across all sub-groups
To compare the performance of students or populations of
students you should concord an ACT score to the SAT scale
2011 National
Composite
ACT Scores
Concorded
2011 ACT Scores to
SAT CR+M Scale
2011 National
Combined
SAT CR+M
Total
21.1
994
1011
American Indian
18.6
894
972
Asian
23.6
1094
1112
Black
17
830
855
Hispanic
18.7
898
914
White
22.4
1046
1063
Sources: 2011 College Bound Seniors; ACT: Condition of College and Career Readiness, 2011
Resources – For Students
SAT Practice Tools At a Glance for Students
Most SAT Practice Tools are FREE!
Practicing for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests
Planning for Test Day
SAT Question of the Day – FREE
My SAT Study Plan™ – FREE
SAT Question of the Day Mobile App – FREE
Answers Imagined – FREE
 How to Do Your Best
SAT Practice Questions – FREE
SAT Test Taking Approaches – FREE
 What to Bring
SAT Subject Test Practice Questions – FREE
SAT Essay Strategies – FREE
 Standby Testing
SAT Practice Test – FREE
SAT Subject Test Taking
 If You’re Absent
Mathematics Review – FREE
Approaches – FREE
 SAT Test Center Closing
Effective Writing Review – FREE
SAT Subject Test Recommended Skills
 Make-up Testing
SAT® Skills Insight™ – FREE
and Prerequisites – FREE
 Test Security and Fairness
The SAT® Practice Booklet – FREE
SAT Subject Test Web Resources – FREE
 Expanded Practice Questions
 Answer Explanations
 Recommended Preparation
Official SAT Study Guide™: 2nd Ed.
Official SAT Subject Test Study Guide™: 2nd Ed.
Important Test Day information on:
The Official SAT Online Course™
Helping Students Get Ready
Models, Lesson Plans, and Strategies for:
 Argumentative writing skills
 School-based SAT Practice
 The Official SAT Teacher’s Guide™
 ESL/ELL students
Professional Development Workshops:
 SAT Skills Insight
 Animating Student Writing
 Holistic Scoring Workshop
 School-Based SAT Practice
 Writing Preparation for Educators of ESL/ELL Students
5
SAT Skills Insight
• SAT Skills Insight identifies
the academic skills that
typical students should focus
on to improve their scores,
depending on their target
score range
• Free, online resource,
paired with My SAT Online
Score Report to make SAT
In Focus
• Sample SAT questions and
answers help students better
understand the skill
descriptions given
49
SAT® Offers the Most Generous Fee Waiver
Program of Any College Entrance Exam
More than 360,000 low-income students in the graduating
class of 2011 benefitted from SAT Fee Waivers (1 in 5)
More than $35 million in services made available at no cost
to low-income high school students last academic year
Eligible students can receive:
Two SAT fee waivers and two SAT Subject Tests™ fee waivers
(up to six Subject Tests)
Four Free Additional Flexible Score Reports
Free Question and Answer Service or Student Answer Service
Four Request for Waiver of College Application Fee forms
Discount on The Official SAT Online Course™
Resources – For Institutions
The Importance of the SAT® for
Institutions
There are many factors that colleges and universities use to assess students
today, but the SAT remains a key component, along with high school grades
and a rigorous curriculum.
The SAT:
–
Provides a national yardstick to compare students across the country
• High schools vary widely in courses, teachers and grading practices
• Grade inflation is more common than ever
–
Is a strong predictor of college success and retention
• As good as high school grades at predicting student performance in the first,
second and even third years of college
• Gives students a better sense, based on their scores, of how ready they are
academically for the rigors of college
Admitted Class Evaluation Service™
To assist colleges and universities in conducting research about
their students, the College Board offers the Admitted Class
Evaluation Service (ACES™), a free online service that predicts how
admitted students will likely perform at your institution and how
successful they can be in specific classes.
ACES admission validity
studies identify which
measures best predict a
student’s future performance
and recommends the best
combination of predictors for
your institution.
ACES placement validity studies
predict how students will perform
on different academic measures by
comparing student performance in
selected courses with student
scores on various College Board
assessments*.
* SAT ®, SAT Subject Tests™, ACCUPLACER® tests,
AP ® Exams and CLEP ® exams