Presented at the 2013 NPEA conference by: The Princeton Review Foundation and Bell Curves

1. Empowering Underrepresented Students to
Succeed on the SAT/ACT
Jay Rosner, Executive Director
The Princeton Review Foundation
NPEA Conference
April 11, 2013
Copyright © 2013 Jay Rosner

2. Princeton Review Foundation,
a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
• Mission: Fairness Advocacy & URM
Services
• National Partnerships – HBCUs, Hispanic
Scholarship Fund, Cherokee Nation
Foundation, KIPP Schools, NABC, etc.
• Presentations & workshops: students,
admissions staffs & high school faculty
• Test critic for 20+ years, ETS litigation

3. Alignment: What Should a “College Prep”
High School Provide for Students?
ExtraCur ExtraCur
SAT/ACT SAT/ACT
GPA GPA
(academics) (academics)
4-Year College Admissions: Typical “College Prep”
Selective App. “Weights” High School Expenditures

4. Why Do URMs Underperform
on the SAT/ACT?
• They’re rigged. See Chapter 6 in SAT
Wars: in short, test questions are selected
to favor high scorers (don’t tell students).
• Additional factors include lack of testing
(think cultural) capital, no test prep,
disengagement, stereotype threat, etc.
• Everyone (limits) can improve their score
• Vocabulary quiz: hagwon? juku?

5. Wealthiest Blacks’ Average SAT Scores Are
Lower Than Those of the Poorest Whites
Blacks Hispanics Whites Asians
1200
1150
1100
1050
1000
950
900
850
800
750
700
Less than $35-50,000 $70,000 or
$20,000 more
Source: National Data, 2001 California SAT Report, The College Board

6. 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 …

7. Quantity: How Much ACT (SAT)
Prep Is Recommended by Jay?
ACT/SAT prep minimums (course or self-prep):
• 1.5 hours per day, of high-quality practice
• 5-6 days per week
• for 5-6 weeks, right up to the ACT
• 3-4 practice tests, not more than one per week
Less, lower-than-your-best score? More, burn out?
Did you do this? Rehearsal? Too much? It’s –
½ season of a high school sport

8. How Many Times?
• Question: How many times should you plan to
take the official SAT or ACT?
ONCE. Prep intensively, and get it right the
first time.
But have a fall-back in mind, if you need it.
• Both tests? Take a practice test of each (PSAT).
• When, ideally, should most students take the
official ACT or SAT?
Spring as a junior, after prep! Why? Anyone not
advised to do this? Seniors – get to it!

9. A Healthy Approach
With students taking too many bubble tests:
• Importance of SAT/ACT (not intelligence)
• Different skills, timing, strategies
• Target test date
• Prep plan and/or materials
• Practice tests
• What can high school faculty do?

10. Suggestions to Assist URM Students
Helping Students Prepare (easiest to hardest):
•First, everybody does the PSAT (and PLAN)!
•Easy & cheap is a full practice ACT/SAT
•Test prep library books (online caution)
•Encourage students to do some ACT/SAT
prep in study groups
•A course taught by teachers? (Taking test?)

11. Leveraging Faculty to Motivate Kids
Strategy: an energized SAT/ACT environment
Tactics:
• SAT/ACT prep
• 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
• “Special” technique – faculty taking test

12. Tactics for Empowering 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)

13. 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!)