Changes to SAT

In 2024, the SAT will be receiving a host of major revisions that aim to bring the long-running standardized test fi rmly into the 21st century. On January 25th, the College Board, which administers the test, announced the changes on its website. The headlining change to the SAT is the switch from paper-and-pencil to an all-digital platform, even though students will still be required to take the exam at designated testing centers. Additionally, other changes include a shorter test length (two hours, down from three), calculator usage on both math sections, a revamped reading section that includes a variety of passages with one question each, and a “unique” test for each student. The College Board is no stranger to revising the SAT; it has a long and storied history of changing the test. As the years go by, the SAT evolves to meet the changing times and to refl ect the skills that colleges and universities are searching for in prospective students. Three of the most recent revisions to the test occurred in 1994, 2005, and 2016; they seem to be on an eleven year cycle. In 1994, antonym questions were removed, reading passages were made longer, open-ended math problems were added, and calculators were introduced. 2005 brought the essay to the test, which reformatted its grading scale from 1600 to 2400, and analogy questions were also removed. In 2016, the essay was made optional (removed in June 2021), and the grading scale was restored to 1600. With the most recent changes that are set to take effect for international students in 2023, and U.S. students in 2024, student experience and satisfaction seems to be the priority. Mr. Kevin D’Antonio, an English teacher at Eastern, has taught an SAT English prep course for fi ve years, and he offered his opinion on the test’s new individualized changes. “I think it’s a great idea; I’m interested to see how it shakes out. I think sometimes a lot of things sound really really great, and you build a system to have in place, but when it plays out it doesn’t necessarily go exactly how you want it to at fi rst. Hopefully, it works out the way it’s intended to,” he said. These user-friendly changes to the SAT come at a time of growing nationwide doubt towards the test’s economic fairness and necessity as an admissions fi lter in higher education. As a result of the pandemic, a large number of schools have become test-optional, and do not require students to submit SAT scores. In fact, the University of California district, a highly-ranked system of public universities, turned test-blind in 2020; this means that they do not consider SAT or ACT scores in their admissions decisions. Despite this trend, Mr. D’Antonio values the SAT as more than a demonstration of academic knowledge. “The things that you are proving about yourself, in doing something like taking a long-form standardized test like the SAT speaks to your dedication to something, and I think that is valuable to schools, in addition to the score,” he said. Even though countless schools have become test-optional, students who submit SAT scores are at more of an advantage than those who do not; in a way, it’s not really an option. If test scores are not considered, then high school grades and GPAs would be some of the primary factors in admissions decisions. However, thousands of people with similar grades (in different classes, curriculums, schools, The College Board announced the new changes to the SAT on January 25th, and they will take effect in 2024 for students in the U.S.

economic circumstances, etc.) are very diffi cult to choose between. This is where the SAT comes into play; it is a standard tool for judging millions of students against one another. Mr. Tim Hassall, an English teacher at Voorhees Middle School, has taught the HASSSAT SAT prep course for seventeen years. He feels that the SAT is important for students, but that the admissions process will likely never be fair for everyone. “It is a useful tool, it’s just one of those things — will it always be fair? No, but then you can get philosophical about it. [For example,] This kid didn’t go to a good school; how do you account for that in the GPA if he didn’t go to high school at Eastern? Now what? You went to East-

Photo by Andrew Shinkle ‘22/Canva.com ern; you went to a really good public high school; you have an advantage over a kid who went to a lesser public high school maybe just a few miles away. It’s a neverending thing,” he said. The SAT might not be favored among students in the admissions process, but without it, the alternative might be worse. The new changes to the exam will make it a more favorable, more accessible, and less stressful test for students to take. Going forward, the changes might contribute towards more of a level playing fi eld for students everywhere. “It’s [The SAT is] something that everyone has to do,” Hassall said. “It’s kind of a rite of passage, and I doubt it’ll go away anytime soon.” Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination

By LAURA SILENZIO ‘23 Opinion Editor

History could be made once again. Following Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement, Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden to fi ll his seat, and she could be the fi rst Black woman named to the nation’s highest court with the nomination hearing later this month. Growing up in Miami, her uncle was the city’s police chief and another uncle was a sex crimes detective. Her father was an attorney. She studied government at Harvard while being a student organizer for civil rights causes, and graduated magna cum laude. Attending Harvard Law School, she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. This is only the beginning of what many would consider an admirable career. Funnily enough, she clerked for Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, whom she will replace if she is confi rmed. Jackson has explained that she could never fi ll Breyer’s shoes, but as a young lawyer in the 1990s, she unknowingly was on a destined path to continue what she has called his “civility, grace, pragmatism and generosity of spirit.” Serving in the U.S. Court of Appeals and having served eight years as a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia (from 2013 until June 2021) are two of Jackson’s strongest accolades on her bolstering resume for her nomination, as well as her experience as a public defender. Not only that, but dozens of the nation’s

top law enforcement offi cials have signed a letter addressed to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee — including former NYPD offi cial Ben Tucker, who just retired as highest-ranking Black offi cial in the nation’s largest department, stated this in a letter, “Such direct familiarity with the experiences and challenges of law enforcement enriches her understanding of criminal justice issues.” Through all of these raving reviews one has to wonder, how would she actually make her decisions if she were to be approved to the supreme court? According to President Biden, “Her opinions are always carefully reasoned, tethered to precedent and demonstrate respect for how the law impacts everyday people,” Biden said. “It doesn’t mean she puts her thumb on the scale of justice one way or the other. But she understands the broader impacts of her decisions, whether it’s cases addressing the rights of workers or government service. ” Though the nomination in itself is historic, the choice of Jackson will not change the ideological makeup of the court. The court currently has six conservative justices and three liberal She could be the fi rst justices, and the retirBlack woman named ing Breyer comes from the liberal side, plus she to the nation’s highest has experience working court, with the for him and most likely nomination hearing later this month. share similar ideologies. Though her nomination has been well received by many, there are still few that criticize the nomination as being a way for President Biden to fulfi ll his campaign promise instead of going based off of credentials solely. One main criticizer of Ketanji’s nomination is none other than Fox TV host Tucker Carlson. Similar to rumors Donald Trump spread about Obama’s college grades during the 2012 election, Carlson demanded that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Black woman, a nominee for the Supreme Court, prove that she is qualifi ed. He demanded that she show her papers, saying on Fox News, “It might be time for Joe Biden to let us know what Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT score was. How did she do on the LSATs? … It would seem like Americans in a democracy have a right to know.” Much to Carlson’s dismay though, even some conservatives have conceded she was an excellent pick such as Senator Josh Hawley and former federal judge J. Michael Luttig. Of course, the Supreme Court should be made up of the most qualifi ed, experienced jurists, but there’s no doubt according to many endorsements at the top of their fi elds that Jackson is one of them. As for Biden’s take, “For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America. I believe it’s time that we have a court that refl ects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifi cations.” As for the nomination process, Democrats will need all their members in Wash-

Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated by President Biden. Photo from Wikimedia Commons ington to ensure her confi rmation along with the hope that Jackson can garner bipartisan support. Because Democrats have a sure 50 votes in the Senate, many pundits expect Vice President Kamala Harris to be the tiebreaker for Jackson’s confi rmation if needed, but this may not have to happen if Jackson can get huge support from a signifi cant number of GOP senators as she did for her District Court appointment in 2013 after being nominated by Barack Obama. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine all voted for Jackson last summer when she was confi rmed as a circuit court judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second most important court in the country so it’s more likely than not that the nomination will end up going through and history will be made.