For Dyslexic Test-Takers, the New SAT Is Even Worse
Noodle published an article recently about the new SAT and how certain students don’t benefit from the changes. Teens who struggle with reading speed are going to have an issue with the test. Experts estimate that students with dyslexia comprise up to 17 percent of the population (undiagnosed and diagnosed combined). One of the most pronounced differences between the new and old SAT is a dramatic increase in the amount of reading required (in both verbal and math sections).
The author makes the following points:
1. Rewarding speed over comprehension: The new test will reward reading speed over reading comprehension. Dyslexics do not inherently struggle to make meaning out of written content. In fact, many excel in comprehension. But their reading rate is notably slower than that of their non-dyslexic peers — and it is impossible to make meaning out of passages or questions that you do not even have time to reach. With the increase in the quantity of reading required and the greater emphasis on it in the math as well as verbal sections, the risk, of course, is that students with dyslexia and other reading-related learning disabilities will fare poorly across the board, and may be adversely affected in the college admissions process.
2. Lacking consistency: Reading volume on standardized tests has always been a challenge for slow readers, but the increased emphasis on reading stamina and speed on the revised SAT threatens to raise that hurdle further. Although many children with reading challenges are granted accommodations in school, such as additional time to read assignments or assistive technology to access written content, very few students are allowed the same supports on the SAT that they are able to leverage in their school life. Indeed, even test-takers who are granted accommodations on the SAT rarely receive the full range they have at school. The College Board may, for example, permit a student with dyslexia some of the extra time requested on her application, but because of its own complicated rules or exceptions, offer less than the amount she is entitled to through her Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan.
3. Avoiding transparency: Official statistics on the percentage of students who ought to receive testing accommodations but do not are impossible to confirm, since the very company that administers the exam and approves such requests does not release this information. School administrators, however, acknowledge that there is a significant gap between the percentage of learners who are entitled to accommodations and those who are ultimately awarded them by the College Board. There is no way to predict why a request for accommodation will be rejected; the explanatory response letters that students receive from the company are maddeningly opaque.
The author says the SAT’s overhaul is likely to exacerbate existing educational inequities for students with learning disabilities, especially those who are additionally constrained by income or a lack of access to test prep and guidance resources — and for this, high school counselors should be calling on the College Board for greater transparency and fairness in serving all students, not just those who happen to be able to read quickly. Here is the link to the article: For Dyslexic Test Takers, the new SAT is Even Worse
What can a Counselor do to help his/her students? If you have a student or students that have this issue don’t hesitate to contact the College Board and seek testing accommodations for those students. Unfortunately as outlined above the College Board has all the decision making authority on if those accommodations are granted but it is worth the effort. Many colleges are also offering test-optional admission policies. To date more than 850 colleges have announced these options for students. Students with dyslexia are perfect candidates to explore this for in more depth at the colleges they are interested in applying to.
