For many students, the SAT is an important part of the college process and adds to an already busy school workload. Studying for it, along with regular classes and other exams, can feel overwhelming at times.
The school does offer SAT preparation resources, but some students say they are not always widely known or easy to access. Others mention that timing and scheduling can make it difficult to take full advantage of the support available. As expectations around SAT scores remain high, students and teachers continue to look at how school resources are used and where there may be room for improvement.
“The school SAT preparation is very limited and not well structured. They are not highly indebted and have no source of tutoring whatsoever,” Arieana Bacchus, senior, said.
Ariena feels as though deadlines haven’t been clear since she took the SAT last year, and she continues to suggest a solution of, “the school should have SAT weekly workshops to help with different spots of math or English that students struggle on.”
Furthermore, Andrew Ferreira, a science teacher, supports that, “the school can be more strategic when it comes to SAT prep. In my viewpoint, students seem to be often unaware of major exams like this happening, and what resources they should be utilizing for the test.” However, he does include that, “because the SAT focuses on math and English, the teachers for that department have the opportunity to support their students by offering resources instead of direct assignments.”
Now, many students are aware even before their junior year about the SAT’S, which leads us to question, shouldn’t students prepare if they know an upcoming test is coming, even if a deadline isn’t confirmed yet? Or should they wait for the school’s initiative?
Mr. Ferreira continues to speak on this question, concluding, “I believe it’s a combination, there’s 100% students who are successful in their own initiative and studying, as many have taken it or taken the time to sign up, while others are waiting for the school. However, I think it’s commonly known that teenage brains are, I wouldn’t say underdeveloped, but they can struggle with planning, and it’s not because of them as a person, but more so natural maturation. If we expect students who haven’t fully developed these skills to do it on their own, that’s delusional.”
We’ve also asked this question to students this year who are preparing for the SAT, especially since the test date has been confirmed now. While many think it’s either on both or the students.
“It should fall on the school. Students have enough on their plates already with regents and other testing and the school should be responsible to guide them,” Gianna Andrade, junior, said. She continued to share her thoughts surrounding the prep, saying that she believes the SAT preparation is okay. “I think that the school is okay with it, it could use work. A lot of kids don’t know that there was SAT prep or that the SATs were even happening, so I think that they could be better on that. Otherwise the practice is good for students only if you do it early enough,” Gianna said.
Students and teachers share different views on how SAT preparation should be handled, but both agree that awareness and access play an important role. As the school continues to offer resources, many are looking at how they can be better communicated and used to support students more effectively.
