Tools of the Trade: First Generation SAT Preparation: Best Practices for Overcoming Barriers and Motivating Students (The Princeton Review Foundation Presentation)

Princeton Review Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
National Partnerships – HBCUs, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, College Horizons, KIPP Schools, NABC, etc.
SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT & MCAT
Presentations & workshops at conferences & for admissions staffs & high school faculty
Advice to students in disputes with ETS /ACT
Test critic for 20+ years, ETS litigation
Advocacy – U. Michigan Law School case

4-Year College Admissions vs. “College Prep” High School Budgets
4-Year College Admissions:
Application “Weights”
Typical “College Prep”
High School Expenditures

For Students: Jay’s Opinion of What The SAT Measures
How intelligent you are?
No.
How well you’ll do in college?
No. (only helps somewhat in FY GPA)
How good you are on SAT?
YES !
If you have a high test score, it just means that you’re good at the test. And, that’s all.
Can you improve your score?
YES! Here’s what you need to do …

Presentation to Students: What is “Preparing Intensively?”
Prep minimums (course or self-study):
1.5 - 2 hours per day, of high-quality practice
5-6 days per week
for 5-6 weeks , right up to the official test
4-5 practice tests , spaced out properly.
Less risks a lower-than-your-best score.
What I say to HS students …

KIPP High Schools
11 KIPP public, open-enrollment high schools (also 55 middle schools, 16 elementary schools):
80% free & reduced lunch
Rural and urban, Latino & African American
Workshops for high school faculty & staff
Some successes (two rurals, one urban):
all 44 of first Gaston, NC class in college
23 seniors in Helena, AK beat ACT average
KIPP Houston HS: 16 th best in U.S. News list

Strategy: an energized SAT/ACT environment
Tactics:
SAT/ACT prep similar to wealthy kids
Faculty & staff awareness-to-support
Test as an adversary, faculty & staff are allies (Boston Arts Academy)
Sports analogies for performance – score points, stay in the game
Not cheerleading, but rising to the challenge
“ Secret” technique – getting others to take test
Leveraging Faculty to Motivate Kids

We’re a team, test as adversary, cohort effect
Take control of the test – do the questions in the order best for you
Example: 2-pass (or 3-pass) reading comp. technique
Skipping questions (come back if time)
Note – not available on CATs (GRE)
Tactics for Empowering Kids

SAT/ACT Free Throw Analogy
SAT : Academia :: FT Shooting : Basketball
SAT & FT Shooting : contrived, artificial, static, solitary, PREDICTABLE, limited context & skills w/mechanistic approach, confidence & psych factors
Academia & Basketball : complex, dynamic, broad open-ended skill set w/creativity, messy like life
Improvement : Virtually everyone (Shaq?) can improve with practice and some expert instruction
Moral - SAT and academia are significantly disconnected; different skills are involved (Shaq!)

Male/Female SAT Comparisons, with a Focus on Math
Pretesting : questions are “tried out” in the variable (unscored) SAT section, and then selected or rejected.
Male preference question: the percentage of males answering correctly (say, 62%) is higher than that of females (55%).
Female preference question: the opposite, the female percentage is higher.

The “Three Digit” Question: Male or Female Preference?
4 K 8
3
= m
6. In the equation above, K is a digit in the three-digit number 4 K 8, and m is a positive integer. Which of the following could be the digit K ?
(A) 1
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 7
Source: Oct. 2000 SAT, Sec. 1, #6

The “Three Digit” Question: Female Preference, 88% to 87%
4 K 8
3
= m
6. In the equation above, K is a digit in the three-digit number 4 K 8, and m is a positive integer. Which of the following could be the digit K ?
(A) 1
( B) 3 (Correct Answer)
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 7
Source: Oct. 2000 SAT, Sec. 1, #6

Male/Female Math Analysis of 2 SAT Data Sets: Oct.,1998 & 2000
60 math questions per test, 2 tests:
120 questions
Query: How many male preference questions? Female preference questions? (Hints: 3 are no-pref. questions, and boys outscore girls)
The number of female preference questions out of 117 others is:
1 question
The number of male preference questions out of 117 is:
116 questions

Distribution of Male/Female Gaps in Oct. 1998 and Oct. 2000 Data Sets . # of questions % gap in questions

Comments?

The “security blanket” Question: White or Mex. Am. Preference?
7. At bedtime the security blanket served the child as _______ with seemingly magical powers to ward off frightening phantasms.
(A) an arsenal (B) an incentive (C) a talisman
(D) a trademark (E) a harbinger
Source: Oct. 2000 SAT, question #7, section 2

The “security blanket” Question is a Mex. Am. Pref. Question
At bedtime the security blanket served the child as _______ with seemingly magical powers to ward off frightening phantasms.
(A) an arsenal (B) an incentive (C) a talisman
(D) a trademark (E) a harbinger
Source: Oct. 2000 SAT, question #7, section 2
49% of Mex. Ams. and 46% of whites (3% gap) got this correct

White/Mex. Am. Analysis of 2 SATs: October, 1998 and October, 2000
60 math & 78 verbal questions per test (138 total), 2 tests:
276 questions
Query: How many Mex. Am. preference questions? White preference questions? (ETS folks are liberals.)
The number of Mex. Am. preference questions out of 276 is:
1 question
(Another one-hitter!)
The number of white preference questions out of 276 is:
274 questions

Distribution of White/Mex Am Gaps in Oct. 1998 and Oct. 2000 Data Sets . # of questions % gap in questions

The “actor’s bearing” Question: White or Black Preference?
The actor’s bearing on stage seemed _____; her movements were natural and her technique _____ .
(A) unremitting … blase
(B) fluid … tentative
(C) unstudied … uncontrived
(D) eclectic … uniform
(E) grandiose … controlled
Source: Wall St. Journal, citing ETS

The “actor’s bearing” Question: Black Preference, with an 8 % Gap
The actor’s bearing on stage seemed _____; her movements were natural and her technique _____ .
(A) unremitting … blase
(B) fluid … tentative
(C) unstudied … uncontrived
(D) eclectic … uniform
(E) grandiose … controlled
Source: Wall St. Journal, citing ETS

White/Black Analysis of 2 SATs: October, 1998 and October, 2000
60 math & 78 verbal questions per test (138 total), 2 tests:
276 questions
Query: How many black preference questions? White preference questions?
The number of black preference questions out of 276 is:
0 questions
(a no-hitter)
The number of white preference questions out of 276 is:
276 questions

Distribution of White/Black Gaps in Oct. 1998 and Oct. 2000 Data Sets . # of questions % gap in questions

Why Do They Choose Questions Like a Reverse NBA Draft?
“ Each individual SAT question ETS chooses is required to parallel the outcomes of the test overall. So, if high-scoring test-takers – who are more likely to be white - tend to answer the question correctly in pretesting, it’s a worthy SAT question; if not, it’s thrown out. Race and ethnicity are not considered explicitly, but racially disparate scores drive question selection, which in turn reproduces racially disparate test results in an internally reinforcing cycle.” The Nation , April 14, 2003, pg. 24.

Conclusions of Preference Analysis
All SAT questions capture something about race & gender, and 99% of the time it is invisible.
Group score differences are set NOT when students test, but when questions are chosen.
Black preference questions are ALWAYS eliminated after pretesting – racial profiling?
Bubble tests quantify race (who’s flunking the exit exams in TX, MA, FL, CA)?
The SAT is a white preference test, “built’ by selecting white preference questions.

Tools of the Trade: First Generation SAT Preparation: Best Practices for Overcoming Barriers and Motivating Students (The Princeton Review Foundation Presentation)

by Marissa Lowman on Apr 12, 2010

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Tools of the Trade: First Generation SAT Preparation: Best Practices for Overcoming Barriers and Motivating Students (The Princeton Review Foundation Presentation) — Presentation Transcript