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Page 4 Greensboro. N.C. SAT revamp makes test harder Hannah Whaley Staff Writer If a random sample of 500 high school students across the nation were polled and asked which measure would carry the most weight in deciding their college entrance, the answers might be as follows. About 30 per cent might indicate grades, 20 percent might choose extracurricular activities, and, according to a recent poll taken by The Kaplan Company, a whopping 50 per cent would put the weight on their SAT scores. The SAT is a nearly four hour test that measures criti cal reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills that students have developed over time and skills the U.S. government has accepted as necessary for successful aca demic performance. According to Collegeboard.com, the SAT is the best independent, stan dardized measure of a stu dent's college readiness. This Scholastic Aptitude Test has also been called "Sick and Twisted" and "Slimy Atrocious Torture." Over the years many stu dents and educators have criticized the SAT for being too streamlined and not hav ing the capacity to accurately measure a student's applied knowledge. In attempts to avoid further criticisms, the College Board has reformat ted the test. They have added two more challenging sec tions in hopes of improving overall accuracy in the actual measure of academic intelli gence. This new test will cover n I J| muM WL fc I™ , *J K Vfl p | Huh WWW.UTEXAS.EDU WORLD & NATION third-year college-preparatory math, such as exponential growth, absolute value, func tional notation, and negative and fractional exponents. In addition, a writing section will require students to write an essay in which they take a position on an issue and use reasoning and examples to support their position. According to a recent press release by the College Board, the test will be first adminis tered on March 12. This means that all juniors in high school and below have to prepare for an even more rig orous exam that will set the standard for excellence. "I don't see how multiple choice questions can accu rately measure a student's writing ability," said Early College (E.C.) junior Alden Mueller. "I am concerned with the scoring of the new writing section. Regardless of how detailed a rubric might be, there is still room for the opin ion of the reader to affect the score." According to Mike Harrison, student counselor at EC, the essays will be scored using a holistic approach. This means that a piece of writing is con sidered as a total work, the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts. Each essay will be scored inde pendently by two qualified readers and will be scored on a scale of 1 to 6 by each reader, with the combined score ranging from two to 12. If the two readers' scores dif fer by more than one point, a scoring leader will resolve the difference. Harrison urges his students to participate in Barnes and Noble SAT prep sessions, which will be led by the founder of Sparknotes and the author of a Sparknotes SAT prep manual. While each year E.C. stu dents are urged to participate in a school wide PSAT (Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test), many are required by teachers to take the real test each year. "I'm not worried," said E.C. first-year William Hahn, demonstrating that the underclassman perception of invincibility will always be present. However, graduating sen iors at E.C. have found ways to move forward without hav ing to take the new version of the SAT Hadley llliff, E.C. 'O5, took the SAT II writing exam over the summer. "If you add that score to the ones I got on my SAT I, I did pretty well," said llliff. "I think the new test will make it a lot harder to get a perfect score, which I like." While it's becoming more difficult to get a good enough SAT score to get into The Early College at Guilford, which has seen a handful of perfect scores already, the average SAT score of a stu dent admitted to Guilford is only 1143. In addition, stu dents applying to Guilford are allowed the option of with holding their scores from the application process. The difference in the two schools is apparent in the varying amount of weight placed on the scores. At Guilford, withholding SAT scores neither helps, nor hurts the student's eligibility. At E.C., the higher the score, the better your chances of entrance. 9€ Country proposes public affection ban Holly Butcher Indonesia, a country with one of the largest Muslim popula tions in the world, proposed a new law banning the public display of affection. If the new law passes, unmarried couples will be forbidden to kiss in public. The proposed law does not stop with restrictions on kissing. It also gives police officers the authority to search homes of all suspected unmarried couples living together. "If neighbors think the presence of an unmarried couple liv ing together is a nuisance, they can report it to the police," said Justice Ministry Official Abdul Gani Abdullah to the BBC. Pornography and the exposure of "certain sensual body parts" will also be forbidden. There will be more censorship for movies, music and other forms of media, reported Scottish online source NEWS.Scotsman.com. Many Muslim leaders have recently spoken out against Hollywood movies and TV programs, saying they "violate reli gious tenants on decency," reports the BBC. According to the Jakarta Post , offenders of these laws could be fined 300 million rupiah - almost $33,000 - as well as sen- VWWV.COMMUNITY-BASEDSERVICES.ORG Indonesia together with other Muslim states by passing stern restrictions on sexuality. Public displays of affection are consid ered indecent in the Muslim tradition, and Indonesia is starting an enormous clean-up with these restrictions. "Kissing in public is a crime if the people around are not happy and will lodge a complaint," said Abdullah to the BBC. "But if they think it's all right, then no action will be taken." Although some appreciate the proposed law, others seem skeptical Some Indonesians are worried about what effect this will have on tourism. Others, like women's rights activist Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, accused the new order of being excessive and infringing on human rights, reported the Jakarta Post. The law won't be official for another two years. During this time, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Indonesian legislature will debate the new law and evaluate its support. These restrictions are a part of recent reforms to old laws implemented from Indonesia's Dutch colonial rulers in the late 1800s. The reforms will hopefully "set environmental protection standards and punish human rights violations and terrorism," reported the Jakarta Post. Here at Guilford, some students disagree with the proposed laws: "Being from the US, it's hard to fathom putting religious beliefs ahead of your social rights," said criminal justice major and junior Sarah Green. "I think it's outrageous," said political science major Andy Kilibarda. "If we let the religious right take over this country, similar laws could be passed."* Feb. 18, 2005 Www, guilfordian .com Staff Writer tenced to jail for up to 10 years. "I think that's really messed up," said jun ior philosophy major Michael Zielinski. "Even if a country is primarily Muslim, you should still not try to force government authority on any part of private life." This law is an attempt to bring
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