College Board to Test 8th Graders

In this college-oriented culture, preparing for standardized tests begins at a young age, as many students desire perfect SAT scores to impress the top universities. Continuing with this trend, the College Board has unveiled a new test aimed at eighth grade students called “ReadiStep.”
ReadiStep, which will begin to be administered in the fall of 2009, is the result of parents’ and educators’ commitments to preparing students for the college admission process.
The test can be administered either in the fall or spring, any time in a two-week window set by the College Board, and either over the course of multiple class periods or in one chunk of time. The test will be paid for by the middle schools, not the students, which is not the case with the SAT.

Colleges Re-evaluate SAT

The SAT has long been considered an academic rite of passage: a four-hour educational interrogation later distilled into a four-digit summation of test-taking prowess. However, recent changes in admissions policies at a growing number of colleges are increasingly sparing students from this longstanding tradition, allowing them instead to take advantage of newly-offered “score optional” policies.