According to Governor’s latest announcement SAT will be offered for free to all Connecticut students it costs more than 50$.
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Connecticut’s 11th graders will have one less standardized test to worry about and parents will have one less bill to pay. “There’s a balance to be struck, and we’re working to reach it”, said Malloy”.
Overall, 20 percent of teachers noted that their students lacked the computer skills to succeed on the test. That number increases in lower grades and school districts with higher rates of poverty.
“We know individualized teaching and instruction works, and we know that student-by-student data can help”, Malloy continued.
“This approval allows us to expand opportunity for students as it strengthens accountability to ensure that we deliver on our promise to prepare all students for success in college and careers”, she said.
In an effort to allay concerns that students are being over-tested, state legislators voted earlier this year to replace the Smarter Balanced Assessment for high school juniors and study whether the test is appropriate for other grades.
“That will help level the playing field for those who might otherwise be precluded from taking the college entrance exam tests because of prohibitive costs”, Malloy said.
Under federal law, the state must administer end-of-year tests to all students in Grade 3 through 8 and once in high school. “This move is a significant step in the right direction because the SAT, unlike the SBAC tests, is a validated assessment”, said Jan Hochadel, president of the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.
He said the U.S. Department of Education approved the change for the next three school years.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded the decision.
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For the 2015-2016 school.year, the SAT will be used instead of the SBAC, and will be free for all Connecticut students.
