<p>texaspg You do realize that there are more perfect ACT scores than perfect SAT scores because the ACT converts 35.5+ composite scores to be a perfect 36 since all scores are rounded to whole numbers. If the SAT did the same thing with scores in the 2370+ range, the number of “perfect” SAT would be similar assuming similar number of test takers in the pool. </p>
<p>So the long and the short of this is that the concordance charts between SAT and ACT are fine and does not need a revamping as suggested by xiggi but perhaps a fine tuning to properly reflect the percentage distributions between the SAT and the ACT. The ACT might also want to report ACT composite scores without rounding so an ACT 33.25 isn’t considered the same as an ACT 32.50 because under current reporting both scores would be reported as 33.</p>
<p>Isn’t the ACT already aligned with the CC? Last year at our HS, certain subjects replaced some kind of ACT (now I look, they’re called “ACT End‐of‐Course exam”) for the OGT (Ohio Graduation Test). Our HS has been using the CC for several years and I think last year was the final one they will use the OGT.</p>
<p>VOR, with all due respect, do you really think you’re telling me something I have not known for years? As far as my anecdotal evidence culled from the latest Questbridge “reports,” didn’t I describe that correctly in my original post? </p>
<p>In the meantime, despite being a N=1, could you explain to TexasPG how he might interpret a score of 750M in the November 2014 in terms of corresponding to a recent ACT test? To be pragmatic, would his child benefit from taking the ACT and score a 34? How about a 35? Or would she need a 36 to merely equate that 750M? What is next to the 750M, the child only had 800? Would she need all 36 (again) to merely earn a score that corresponds to the SAT? </p>
<p>Please understand that this is not a discussion about the merit (or silliness) of retaking a 2350, but a dilemma that some students face. They do not look at the statistical tables for 15 years ago but are trying to read the tea leaves that might be present in the ivory towers of admission offices. </p>
<p>xiggi Then what was the point of this thread if you weren’t trying to say that the ACT and the SAT were not in concordance with each other? At one point you stated that " adcoms at the colleges that routinely measure applicants in the high range, a new type of correlation that shows 1900 SAT = 34 ACT might not help the student". </p>
<p>Do you have any evidence for this proposition? Of course not! You have no such evidence. Your reference was to try to cast doubt about the value of the ACT compared to the SAT and suggest that the current concordance tables of ACT to SAT “a revision might be necessary”. </p>
<p>As to your question of how to “explain to TexasPG how he might interpret a score of 750M in the November 2014 in terms of corresponding to a recent ACT test?” There is a concordance table for individual SAT Math and SAT CR to ACT section equivalence as well that is published by the ACT and the College Boards. Although, the correlation is not as strong as the CR+M concordance, the relationship is still strong enough at about .80 for the individual ACT sections to individual SAT sections.</p>
<p>Again with the misinformation that I somehow suggested that “Please understand that this is not a discussion about the merit (or silliness) of retaking a 2350, but a dilemma that some students face.” Not once did I broach this subject or even imply such a thing. I merely addressed your proposition with facts that reply to your statements and make sure that kids and their parents don’t start to think that a 34 ACT is somehow equivalent to a 1900 SAT. </p>
<p>Now you are stating that you have known all along that the current concordance tables were pretty accurate which then begs the question of why you started this post in the first place if you knew that the SAT ACT concordance tables are pretty accurate. </p>
<p>The process for ACT scoring has not changed in a while but the number of perfect scorers has gone up quite a bit. Both SAT and ACT used to produce similar number of perfect scorers until 2011 or so but in 2014, SAT perfect scorers have not gone up compared to 2011 while ACT has shot up from around 700 to 1400. </p>
<p>The value of a perfect score goes only as far as the number of people who can get there. When there are more than 1400 ACTs vs 600 SATs, one has to ask if they are equal.</p>
<p>VOR, is it really necessary to be so confrontational? I’m enjoying the give and take. Others have posted questions, concerns and conflicting information without trying to ridicule the OP or shut down debate. I think their approach is more enjoyable to read and will result in a more objective “discussion”.</p>
<p>VOR, it is very hard to follow your arguments. </p>
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<p>??? The “please xxx” was in direct relation to the paragraph about taking the ACT after scoring a 2350. It did not address anything you wrote.</p>
<p>Let’s try to keep it simple. Since both of us are purportedly familiar with the concordance table, should we suggest that TPG should rely on the Page 14 of <a href=“http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-99-02-Dorans.pdf”>http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-99-02-Dorans.pdf</a> and accept that the one mistake out of 54 on the SAT in November is equivalent to a 33 on the ACT? I guess that is what you suggested by posting “There is a concordance table for individual SAT Math and SAT CR to ACT section equivalence as well that is published by the ACT and the College Boards.” </p>
In that thread, you’ll find correlations of 24 ACT <=> 2050 SAT, 27 ACT <=> 2090 SAT, 30 ACT <=> 2180 SAT which should adequately refute the three examples OP provided.
@texaspg - While it is true that the number of students who’ve scored a 36 has doubled in 3 years, from 704 to 1407, this still represents less than 1 student in 1300. You’re letting the tail wag the dog. The meaningful number is the mean score, which has gone from 21.1 in 2011 to … drumroll… 21.0 in 2014. In other words, no significant change at all. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Historical_Average_ACT_Scores.svg)
Please bear in mind that correlation is not equivalence. The SAT and ACT are different tests, covering different facets and under different modalities. To make a strained analogy… while good athletes may do well in both baseball and football, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that some players do much better in one sport over the other.
Some students do better on the SAT, some on the ACT, many do roughly equivalent on both. Welcome to statistics.
Well, the few examples in your linked thread do show some differences! But then, aren’t you realizing that the point in the original post was that the concordance table is just … misleading?
xiggi the point of your original post was that in your “conclusion? Relying on ACT scores only might be no longer be such a wise idea!”
as roman is pointing out the overall mean ACT hasn’t changed much over time and it corresponds pretty well with the mean SAT. There will always be some level of variance between what a student will score on the SAT vs the ACT per roman’s sports analogy which explains the .92 coefficient between SAT and ACT.
However, looking past your belief via your cherry picked anecdotal evidence that the concordance tables are not very accurate, if you check out the 50-75% SAT and the ACT scores of any university, the range values are pretty true to the concordance tables as the high correlation coefficient would suggest.
I understand that you are CC resident guru of SAT prep so that may be clouding you view of the ACT but that is no reason discourage the use of the ACT.
Easy–just compare each cohort separately. SAT takers compete with other SAT takes and ACT/ACT. You submit what you think is you best result or school can pick for you. Why bother to translate apples to oranges.
I guess xiggi no longer believes that the ACT is “no longer be such a wise idea!” Interestingly, this whole thread could have easily been about the SAT no longer being a wise idea since the ACT passed the SAT a couple of years ago in test takers and its growth continues.
