“The results (of the new SAT validity study)  show that the changes made to the SAT did not substantially change how well the test predicts first-year college performance.”  That is a quote from a new report from the College Board addressing a “large-scale national validity study of the SAT”.

As previously reported,  the new writing section is the best predictor of college success of the three SAT sections.  This is an interesting finding considering the problems that have been previously addressed regarding the writing section. The report finds that high school grades are overall a better predictor of college succes than the SAT, but the College Board suggests that a combination of high school grades and SAT scores is the best predictor of college success.

A New York Times articles provides a counterpoint to the College Board’s discussion of the new SAT report with comments from Robert Schaeffer of FairTest.

The bottom line? High school grades continue to be the most effective predictor of college success althought the new SAT writing section is a better predictor than the other two sections. Given the problems with the new Writing section and the reluctance of many colleges, including the most selective, to use the new Writing section in admissions decisions, there appears to be increasing legitimacy to the argument that replacing the SAT may be a good idea.