OH, lookout! The SAT is changing!

So the SAT is changing. Changes include returning to the old 1600 scale, making the essay optional, losing the penalty for wrong answers, changing up the English section to be more knowledge based than IQ based, and taking away the calculator for certain sections.  So, it may be time to toss out all those old SAT study guides, because they are probably rendered useless.

 My kids are through this phase of life so there is a bit of relief there. However, I don't really see the changes as bad. Schools stopped paying attention to the essay years ago and have effectively graded kids on a 1600 scale. My kids found that the calculator actually slowed them down during the more basic math portions so that's a good move too. Plus they are now grading more like the ACT With no penalties for wrong answers.

My only concern is for kids who's graduation date will cause them to take the test both before and after the change. The disparity in grades may be frustrating to them, or it could be a boon. Who knows. But how will the colleges process this info? Will they even be able to make sense of a superscore? These are my questions.

So, if my kid were graduating in 2017, I might do the ACT just for score consistency. Or I would at least make sure they were done with the SAT before the changes, or waited until after the change.