Big test scheduled for today

By STEPHEN BARTLETT
Staff Writer

May 03, 2008 04:00 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- Jeff Ehrlich is unlocking the vault this weekend.
"The SATs are locked up in Saranac," said the Saranac Central School counselor.
Clinton County's SAT steward is ready with his hand-picked crew to get America's most popular college-entrance exam going today, as students turn out around the North Country to climb one of the steps to college acceptance.
"I know it's important, but it's not that much stress," said Ethan Crockett, a junior at Plattsburgh High School who is taking the SAT today.
"It'll be just like going through a normal school day."
ESTABLISHED TEST
The SAT, first introduced in 1901, is published and developed by the non-profit College Board and measures students' general educational development and capability to complete college-level work in the areas of English, math, reading and science. It now includes a writing test, too.
The test is offered seven times yearly, and today is one of the last two dates of this school year to take it.
About 1.5 million students took the SAT last year, compared to around 1.2 million who took the ACT, first administered in fall 1959 as a competitor to the SAT.
SAT VS. ACT
Most colleges now accept both the SAT and the ACT.
"We will take either the SAT or ACT, and if you give us both, we'll just convert the ACT score into an SAT score," said Plattsburgh State Admissions Director Richard Higgins.
"By and large, about 66 percent of our applicants are showing SAT scores."
Students can score up to a 2400 on the SAT, with the equivalent score on the ACT being a 36.
A 2040 SAT score would be the same as scoring a 31 on the ACT, while other comparisons include: 750 for SAT is 11 for ACT, 1000 for SAT is 14 for ACT, and 1350 for SAT is 19 for ACT.
SAT results give colleges a sense of how students rank with their peers nationwide. But, Higgins stressed, it is one indicator among several, including a student's high-school record, that he reviews.
For the fall 2007 semester, the average score that students entering Plattsburgh State earned on their SAT in the areas of critical reading and math was 1073.
"A perfect score used to be 1600, but now it is 2400 with the writing section," Higgins explained. "But we only look at critical reading and math scores and don't factor in the other score."
Many universities don't use the writing component, largely because that section of the test was added in 2005, when it was renamed the SAT Reasoning Test, and school officials have yet to fully determine how to gauge it.
PREP COURSES
Higgins's daughter Emily, a junior at Plattsburgh High School, is taking the SAT today. She prepared by taking practice tests, reading study guides and taking an SAT prep course offered through Plattsburgh State.
"It helps students understand word usage and math equations and helps with strategy by making sure they know there are a variety of sections and they should be familiar with the test format," Higgins said.
AuSable Valley Central School is considering offering its own prep course for students.
"It is costly to take the course at the college, and it always seems to be filled," said AuSable High School Principal Laura Marlow. "And with gas prices, kids can't afford to get to the college."
Many students take the PSAT first.
"We ask them to look at how they did on the PSAT and work to understand where their weaknesses were," said Plattsburgh High School Guidance Counselor June Pernice.
RETAKES
Some students retake the SAT if they aren't happy with their score the first time.
It's up to each college's admissions office to determine how to accept students' scores, Ehrlich said.
"Some will take only one date. Some will take the higher date, and others will take the highest scores from either test."
sbartlett@pressrepublican.com

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