Free, Personalized Practice for the Redesigned SAT® Now Available for All Students on KhanAcademy.org

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Official SAT^® Practice for the redesigned SAT goes live on KhanAcademy.org, making free, world-class, personalized online practice available for all students. Today's launch comes just over a year after the College Board announced a landmark partnership with Khan Academy, a leader in online education. The partnership announcement was a part of the College Board's introduction of sweeping changes to the SAT, including a move away from obscure "SAT vocabulary words" to the use of relevant vocabulary words in context, an in-depth focus on essential areas of math, and the elimination of the guessing penalty.

The interactive practice tools are designed to help level the playing field for students who are interested in taking the SAT and preparing for college-level courses. Unlike traditional high-priced test prep that focuses on strategies for taking the test and quick cramming, Official SAT Practice supports and reinforces what students are learning in classrooms by helping them focus on the knowledge and skills most essential for college readiness. Official SAT Practice is available today for free, exclusively from the College Board and Khan Academy. It is designed to easily be used by students, families, schools, community organizations, and after-school programs — anytime, anywhere.

"The College Board redesigned the SAT to better deliver to students the opportunities they have earned through hard work in their classes," said College Board President and CEO David Coleman. "We are equally committed to enhancing instruction and providing resources for students who are behind. There's no better practitioner of world-class, high-quality instruction for all students at all levels than Khan Academy — and their material just happens to be free. That's why we are partnering for the first time ever to level the college assessment practice field, and to go beyond test prep by offering content that will also reinforce classroom work and enhance college readiness."

"Our mission at Khan Academy is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere, and college readiness is a crucial part of that," said Khan Academy Founder and Executive Director Sal Khan. "We want to help as many students as possible prepare for college and for life, and since the SAT measures preparedness for college, our partnership with the College Board is a natural fit. We're excited to join the College Board in empowering all students with world-class tools. And we're committed to building the best SAT resource available — not just the best free resource, but the best resource, period."

Starting today, students can access Official SAT Practice on KhanAcademy.org and find:

• Detailed information about the redesigned SAT, including thousands of practice questions written in partnership with the same developers creating the new exam, explanations of each section of the test, and guidance on interpreting test scores.
• Interactive questions, video lessons, and reference articles made in partnership with the College Board to help students practice and review the skills that research shows are essential for college readiness and that are tested on the SAT in both Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.
• Short diagnostic quizzes in both Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing to help students identify the skills they should focus on.
• Personalized practice recommendations, directly tied to specific skills on the test, to make the biggest impact on student performance and overall college readiness.
• Four official full-length practice tests written by the College Board, so students can see detailed results of their work and Khan Academy can direct them to the most appropriate materials.
• Instant feedback on their answers so that students are always learning and seeing their progress.
• Study tips and suggestions for test day.

To help as many students as possible take advantage of these SAT practice tools, the College Board and Khan Academy are working with community groups, school districts and educators, and college access organizations to incorporate Official SAT Practice into the ongoing work they're doing to prepare students for college. A crucial partner in this work is Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Serving more than four million members annually at 4,100 Club locations, BGCA has unparalleled ability to reach students — especially those without a computer, Internet access, or a safe place to study. Five Club locations have already started using the SAT practice tools in a small pilot and BGCA is planning a larger pilot program over the summer.

"For more than a century, Boys & Girls Clubs have played a significant role in helping kids and teens achieve academic success through year-round programs designed to help them graduate high school, pursue a college degree, and join the work force," said Dr. Damon Williams, chief educational and youth development officer at BGCA. "Through the support of Khan Academy and the College Board, our Club teens will now have access to more cutting-edge tools and training to ensure a great future is within their grasp." 

In the coming months, the College Board and Khan Academy will continue to enhance these practice tools based on feedback from students, parents, and educators, adding new features such as:

• Additional practice tests and practice questions created jointly by Khan Academy and the College Board.
• A new mobile app from the College Board that will enable students to take an SAT practice test on paper, then instantly scan it and get their score.
• Scaled scoring for practice tests so students can see an estimate of the score they might receive on the real test and track their growth.
• A way for students to upload their PSAT scores to Khan Academy to get an even more personalized SAT practice experience.

The College Board and Khan Academy will continue to provide updates as additional features become available.

About the College Board

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT^® and the Advanced Placement Program^®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.

About Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to change education for the better by providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We believe that students of all ages should have free, unlimited access to the best educational content, and that they should be able to consume and master this content at their own pace. In addition, we believe that there are incredible opportunities to use intelligent software development, deep data analytics, and intuitive user interfaces to more effectively surface and present these educational resources to students and teachers around the world. Our library of content covers kindergarten to early college math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and reaches into humanities with tutorials on economics, finance, music, philosophy, and art history. We have over 15 million registered users and to date, we have delivered over 300 million lessons and 3 billion exercise problems. For further information, visit KhanAcademy.org.  

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,100 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.

SOURCE The College Board; Khan Academy

Related Links

http://www.advocacy.collegeboard.org