Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues: In a January 19 webinar entitled “An Update on Simplifying Our Work,” College Board CEO David Coleman announced the cancellation of SAT Subject Tests. SAT Subject Tests are immediately canceled (in the USA). They'll be offered in May/June internationally, but American registrations for May/June will be canceled (thereby opening more seats for SAT testers on those dates) As Subject Tests sunset, many of you have asked us what will this mean for the role of Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The Past & Future of AP Exams AP exams have been offered since 1955, and since those modest days of slightly over 2,000 tests administered, the program has grown to over 5M tests administered in 2019-20 and from 130 colleges and universities accepting them to now well over 4,000. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the top criteria for college admissions in 2019 were: Grades in all courses The rigor of curriculum Test scores (ACT/SAT) AP exams are one of several valuable indices to curriculum rigor, and the trend that 96 of the top 100 schools in the US consider students’ AP scores as a part of the admissions process supports this perspective. With the elimination of Subject Tests, the AP exams now grow perhaps more relevant as tests to demonstrate student proficiency in academic subjects. For years, they have provided students the opportunity to earn college credits; in addition, colleges and universities like NYU have trended towards accepting AP exams in lieu of SAT or ACT exams for college admissions. We expect given these trends that we will see AP exams occupy a growing place of relevance in indicating to colleges and universities that 1) students are prepared to perform at a college-ready level of rigor; and 2) that—in schools that offer AP curriculum—students have chosen to take on the most rigorous course work available. Starting in May, College Board has created several testing timelines to ensure students have multiple ways to access the tests and demonstrate the cumulative efforts of their preparation. Please feel free to reach out to your director for more information on AP exams, AP Preparation, and/or next steps. Be well, Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues: With NWEA’s Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) testing taking place this month for many students enrolled in public schools, we wanted to offer some insights for families and students: For Families At a time when many feel that they're in the dark in accurately assessing their students’ academic progress, this forthcoming Winter MAP Growth assessment offers an important benchmark. NWEA releases expected growth data year over year, so you can refer to expected gains in assessing whether or not your child is on track. Comparing your child’s growth Fall to Winter to the mean grade level growth using a table like the one below will provide you with an important reference point. Half way through this unusual school year you will be able to pause and take a close and meaningful look at your student’s growth. Below, you'll see the average growth in RIT score on the MAP test in reading and math for each time frame and grade level. Keep in mind these norms are based on a student performing at about the 50th percentile--so for a student far above or below grade level, the expectations may be different. For Students The MAP Growth assessment is adaptive and (typically) untimed. The adaptive part means that the first items the student answers can be determinative, branching the student on to easier or more difficult items and, as a result, a level of scoring that at a certain point is difficult to significantly change. In short, you want to do well in the beginning, but here’s the rub: students tend to race through assessments, as if they’re sprinters and the first one across the finish line wins. Encourage students to slow down and earn the early ones. Recall, MAP is untimed or provided with generous timing! In addition, MAP is online; however, the best problem-solving derives from careful pencil work and visualization. Discourage mental math; encourage students to use scrap paper to work out step-by-step solutions. They should also get comfortable with using the on-screen calculator from Desmos in their work; students can get practice with the tool here. Students may also want to warm up by getting comfortable with the MAP testing platform--there's practice available from NWEA here by logging in with username and password "grow". Let us know if we can help, and best of luck! Be well, Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues: In a webinar today entitled “An Update on Simplifying Our Work,” College Board CEO David Coleman announced two important changes impacting graduating classes of 2022 and beyond: SAT Subject Tests are immediately canceled (in the USA). They'll be offered in May/June internationally, but American registrations for all future subject test dates (May and June 2021) will be canceled and refunded (thereby opening more seats for SAT testers on those dates). The SAT Essay is also canceled after June 2021 for national test dates (though it may still be available through statewide and district testing for accountability in the SAT School Day program). Students wishing to cancel their existing registrations this spring for the essay portion can do so at no cost. Subject Tests There has always been a redundancy between AP exams and Subject Tests: Subject Tests essentially feature the multiple-choice portions of the AP exams. They tend to be administered around the same time of the year (spring, at the end of a full year’s course work), causing a glut of testing at a high-stress time for students as well as more administrative burden for schools as test centers. For these reasons, then, the move away from the SAT Subject Tests has long been anticipated and will be welcome. College Board is also highlighting the end of subject tests as a move for equity with an expanded focus on increasing the availability of AP tests for low-income students and students of color. If students have already taken Subject Tests, College Board will still continue to release those scores to colleges. SAT Essay As assessments of spontaneous writing, the SAT Essay and ACT essay have always been of questionable value. While both grading rubrics are intelligent, thoughtful, and useful in helping students cultivate college-ready persuasive essay writing skills, their grading (which happens under incredible time duress) and their placement (40 or 50 minutes at the end of a 3-hour exam) raise questions about the reliability of their results. By contrast, several years of essay writing grades in high school serve admissions officers as a far better index to a student’s writing ability. Again, this elimination will be welcome. Simplifying At a time when the scrutiny on standardized assessment reaches a crescendo, College Board is clearly attempting to trim fat—eliminating unnecessary assessments that either lack clear relevance for admissions considerations and add unnecessarily to administrative burdens. What we’re watching? We’ll monitor the role that AP exams play in college admissions and report any changes We’ll follow ACT closely to see if ACT takes the same approach to the ACT essay We’ll continue took look for how both SAT and ACT continue to focus on simplicity, which will likely include rapid investment in online administrations of SAT and ACT to offer safe, reliable access for more students Be well, Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues: We’re sharing some updates on ACT & SAT test dates and Q&A services: ACT Dates The February ACT is scheduled earlier than usual: February 6th. ACT has extended the registration deadline to January 15th and waived any late registration fees. Here’s the link to ACT National Test Dates this spring. ACT’s Test Information Release (TIR) ACT’s Test Information Release is a valuable service that we like to incorporate into our instruction. Through the Test Information Release (TIR), you receive a copy of the multiple-choice test questions used to determine your score, a list of your answers, and the answer key. Analyzing a student’s test form, correcting the student’s specific mistakes, and identifying particular patterns of error will generate important instructional insights that lead to further targeted improvement in performance. Here’s a link to the TIR, which is available for the December 2020 and April and June 2021 administrations. SAT Dates The March SAT National Testing Date is scheduled for March 13th, with a registration deadline of February 12th. College Board has arranged for 3 SAT testing dates for 11th graders in Illinois: April 13th is the main date, and April 27th and May 18th are make-up dates, allowing students to test in smaller groups. Here’s the link to SAT National Test Dates this spring. SAT’s Question & Answer Service (QAS) SAT’s Question & Answer Service is a valuable service that we like to incorporate into our instruction. Through the Question-and-Answer Service (QAS), you receive a copy of the multiple-choice test questions used to determine your score, a list of your answers, and the answer key. For students with a College Board account, these services will be available online with your score report. If you're eligible for an SAT fee waiver, you can get the QAS for free. Analyzing a student’s test form, correcting the student’s specific mistakes, and identifying particular patterns of error will generate important instructional insights that lead to further targeted improvement in performance. Here's the link to the QAS, which is available for the March and May 2021 administrations. Be well, Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO