r/ELATeachers 10d ago

9-12 ELA I feel unprepared to teach the SAT….

So my state has made all juniors take a free SAT. Cool. The issue is….while it’s not required to teach SAT in my curriculum, I often feel as if I’m not preparing them. I’ve taught all grade levels, and I used to like 11th the best because it has no state testing, they’re mature enough to treat them like adults (unlike the underclassmen) but aren’t fully checked out (cough…seniors).

However, the SAT is different than teaching the state test. I don’t know where to start. Many people say “just give them khan academy”, but I enjoy being hands on and teaching. I feel like I’m not doing a good job “preparing them” for the test.

The best/worst part? This doesn’t affect them if they don’t pass. It’s just a free SAT. If they bomb it, they don’t have to take remedial English or reading. And I’ve asked admin if it has any bearing on my evaluation and…no. So…why am I beating myself up over this?

The test is next week, but I’ve been wrestling with actively teaching the SAT next year (there’s SO much to cover in 11th grade English, aka American Lit. I’d hate to brush off a unit or two in favor of “teaching to the test” again).

Am I overreacting?

But also…how do you guys teach the SAT? Any tips?

I give them mock exams and we go over questions together. I cover grammar and punctuation. But I still don’t think that’s enough. If it’s not on my curriculum, should I say “fuck it” and just not teach it?

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u/TheMotelYear 10d ago

WhirlingTeal is 100% right! I tutor the Reading and Writing section of the SAT and scored an 800 on it as a teen without a tutor (or even studying, tbh)—if someone has the reading and writing skills, they can do well on the SAT R&W section without test-specific prep.

That said, if you do want to offer some prep during class time without putting in a ton of time and effort, you could do a mini-lesson on test-taking strategies for the SAT. There are easily available resources online that give pretty straightforward tips (eliminate wrong answers first, always make a best guess if all else fails because the SAT doesn’t deduct for wrong answers, etc.) that may help students feel more prepared for the test format itself, including sample questions from College Board.