The digital SAT raises concerns about equity
Editor's note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
low-income students without sufficient home access to computers and the internet will be able to adequately prepare for a crucial test that can decide — or limit — their college choices.
“On a practical level, preparing for the digital SAT test requires consistent access to high-speed internet, accurate mock test items and a physical environment that mimics optimal testing conditions. All of these are harder to come by for lowincome students,” said Irene Shih, chief executive officer of Minds Matter Bay Area, an organization dedicated to increasing the numbers of high-achieving, low-income students at highly selective universities.
The College Board, the non-profit organization that administers the SAT, formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, states that the digital SAT benefits students by shortening the test to two hours instead of three, reducing stress. The new test is also adaptive, tailoring the difficulty level to each student's performance in previous sections.
However, not all of the College Board's consumers are pleased with the change.
“College Board should still offer the paper SAT for people who might feel more comfortable taking it on paper than a computer,” said Salean Nguyen, a Yerba Buena High School senior. “If that option is removed, it would feel as though College Board is not considering the circumstances of the students. Students all have different needs.''
The College Board will offer free online practice tests and allow students to borrow a computer on test day.
“With the transition to digital tests, the College Board is working to address inequities in access to technology,'' a spokeswoman said.
Historically, the SAT gap between high-income and low-income students always has been wide. Harvard University researchers determined that about 20% of students in the bottom 10th of household income took the SAT, compared with over 80% of students in the 90th percentile. Low income also widens the digital divide. Fewer than 60% of households with an annual income below $30,000 have computers and home internet, compared with over 90% of households making at least $100,000, the Pew Research Center reports.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group that advocates for equitable technology access, reports that many low-income households encounter higher prices and lower quality from internet service providers with monopolies on markets.