All Idaho Juniors to Take SAT® In 2011-12

Sept. 2011

Programs and Services

High school juniors in Idaho can now take the SAT® or ACCUPLACER® tests at no cost to their families, as part of the state’s efforts to prepare every student for postsecondary education.

“Our goal is for every Idaho child to be college  and career ready,” said Idaho Superintendent Tom Luna. “For the first time, every Idaho student will have the opportunity to take a college entrance exam, paid for by the state, and to know whether they are prepared for the rigors of postsecondary education. This is an important piece of our "Students Come First" reform efforts to create a 21st-century classroom and make sure Idaho students are prepared to succeed in the world that awaits them.”

The Idaho Legislature approved new high school graduation requirements in 2007. Among these requirements, students must take an additional year of math and science and complete a college entrance exam before the end of their junior year. The state made funds available to pay for testing during the 2011-12 school year, and selected the SAT as the test to best meet the needs of students and the state. The SAT will be administered to juniors during the school day in spring 2012.

“The College Board is excited to partner with the state of Idaho to give all incoming high school juniors access to the SAT. While we are only beginning our relationship with the people of this great state, the SAT has a long history of promoting college access and success,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “The exam is widely respected across the country and is accepted by every Idaho college and university, as well as the majority of colleges and universities in the U.S. This partnership will open doors for thousands of students, and will help foster the culture of opportunity that so many Idahoans are striving to build.”

This agreement includes a free SAT online preparation course for all 11th-graders, optional retesting through the ACCUPLACER placement test for students who do not meet the college and career benchmark on the SAT, and a Web-based tool that allows students to see the link between SAT scores and college- and career- readiness skills.

Students will have the opportunity to take practice tests online to familiarize themselves with the SAT format and question types. The SAT provides fast score reporting for students and access to online score reports. In addition, students who need remediation can retest in their senior year.

Idaho joins Delaware and Maine as states that administer the SAT to all high school juniors.