ACT to SAT: Kentucky educators scramble to prepare students for new college entry exam

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — For nearly 20 years, Kentucky public school juniors have been required to take the ACT—a standardized test tied to college admissions. But this school year, the Kentucky Department of Education said students will take the SAT instead.

The change has thrown many teachers and students for a loop and has left them wondering how to prepare.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, might be unfamiliar to many Kentucky students, but Dr. Shaan Patel—who earned a perfect SAT score—told FOX 56 the test may be a positive change.

“It’s a shorter exam, you have more time per question, you have less than 100 questions on the entire exam, there’s no more obscure vocabulary, the reading passages are shorter,” said Patel.

He noted that several universities across the nation are reinstating SAT and ACT requirements, saying it’s important to take standardized tests seriously if college is your next step.

“And it can not only lower your student debt but sometimes eliminate it altogether,” he said. “And you can go to college for free, which is obviously the dream.”

Over the summer, the Kentucky Department of Education announced a new contract that had been awarded to the College Board, which administers the SAT.

However, the decision has since been appealed, pausing the contract, which delays guidance for teachers and students until further notice.

“We understand how critical it is to offer that guidance to schools, to our parents, to students who are entering their junior year and so they can make decisions and be prepared for when the time comes,” said Associate Commissioner of the Office of Assessment and Accountability Jennifer Stafford in a July 15 webcast.

In a statement sent to FOX 56, a spokesperson for the department said KDE will not comment further on the change until the protest is resolved.

But officials did note that many school districts are already familiar with the College Board through Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams. Other benefits include an expanded test-taking window.

“So, districts could choose when they would like to take the test, as in within that window, as opposed to it has to be at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning at a certain time,” said Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher.

In this time of uncertainty, Patel said it’s important to prepare students for the test now. He’s helped more than 100,000 students improve their test scores with courses and tutoring through his company, Prep Expert.

In addition to his own academic resources, he noted that teachers and students can turn to the College Board for several free materials and practice tests through its online app called Bluebook.

“Students do need to be taught towards the test,” said Patel. “You’re not going to be able to ace this exam if you only use what you’ve learned in high school. Unfortunately, there is some test prep that needs to happen if you want to maximize your score.”