Dear Commons Community,

As part of her overall strategy to increase the number of students applying to college, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced yesterday that New York City will begin offering the SAT free to all public high school juniors. The test will be given during the school day — not on a Saturday, as is now the common practice.  As reported in the New York Times:

“Education officials said that by removing barriers to entry — like the required fee and the very act of signing up — the hope is that students who might not otherwise have taken the test will do so.

“The opportunity to go to college should never be decided by students’ backgrounds or ZIP codes,” Ms. Fariña said in a statement. “I only became the first person in my family to go to college because a teacher let me know it was an option and supported me through the application and enrollment process so I could follow my dreams of becoming a teacher.”

With this change, which will take effect in the spring of the 2016-17 school year, the city joins several statewide efforts to increase the number of students taking college entrance exams, like the SAT or ACT. States including Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin have students take the ACT to fulfill their high school testing requirements.”

This is an excellent move on the part of the Schools Chancellor.  

Brava!

Tony