北京新东方美本本地项目李晓霏老师为大家带来外媒新闻解读——密歇根州高中生2016年春季放弃ACT参加新SAT考试。

　　LANSING — Michigan high school juniors will begin taking the SAT as the state-administered college assessment exam in 2016 in lieu of the ACT, the Michigan Department of Education announced Wednesday.

　　密歇根州教育厅周三宣布，密歇根州的中学三年级学生2016年会放弃ACT,参加SAT考试作为国家组织的大学评估测试.

　　The College Board, which administers the SAT, won the three-year $17.1 million contract. According to the Michigan Department of Education, that was $15.4 million less than the next closest bidder.

　　密歇根州教育厅宣称，SAT的组织者College Board就此赢得了一笔3年1710万的合同，比最接近的投标人低1540万。

　　“The College Board’s SAT test is respected and used around the country,” said State Superintendent Mike Flanagan in a statement, “and Michigan high schools work with them now through their Advanced Placement program that helps students earn college credits while in high school.”

　　教育厅长麦克在一次声明中提出，College Board的SAT测试全国通用，是个有分量的考试。“密歇根州中学的学生们通过SAT的大学预修课程在高中的时候预修大学学分。”

　　The state began administering the ACT test as a part of its spring testing period for high school juniors in 2007. Students who wanted to take the SAT could still take the test, but they would have had to pay for it and take it outside of school hours.

　　2007级开始，密歇根州把ACT考试加入到春季考试期当中。想要参加SAT考试的学生仍然可以自行选择，但是需要在上学时间之外自费考试。

　　Starting in 2016, the SAT will be administered in schools for free and students will still be able to pay to take the ACT outside of school hours.

　　而从2016年开始，学校免费举行SAT考试，而想要参加ACT考试的学生则需要在上学时间之外自费考试。

　　ACT, Inc. will still provide its WorkKeys assessment for all high school students, which is currently a part of the spring testing period. The three-year contract for the WorkKeys assessment will cost $12.2 million.

　　而ACT仍将为中学生提供工作能力评估，目前这项评估是春季测试的一部分。3年的工作能力评估服务会花费1220万美元。

　　Both a college entrance assessment and a work skills test are required as a part of state law to be provided for free to all high school students.

　　Approximately 115,000 Michigan high school students take a college entrance exam and a work skills assessment each year for free.

　　大学入学测试和工作能力评估都是州法律规定免费提供给中学生的服务。每年有接近115000密歇根中学生免费参加大学入学测试和工作能力评估。

　　According to the Michigan Department of Education, the College Board will begin providing schools and students with free test prep materials and online practice tests. The contract includes professional development for test administrators, teachers, students, parents and school counselors in understanding the new test.

　　密歇根州教育厅声称，College Board将开始免费为学生提供考前备考资料和线上练习。合同中还包括协助考试组织者，教师，学生，家长和学校辅导员理解新考试的职业发展培训。

　　The spring 2016 testing period will be the first with a redesigned SAT, which will be aligned to Michigan testing standards.

　　新SAT将于2016春季考试期首次试水，符合密歇根州的考试标准。

　　“The SAT is still a globally-recognized college entrance exam,” said Marty Ackley, director of governmental and public affairs for the Michigan Department of Education. “More so on the east and west coasts than in the Midwest.”

　　“SAT是全球认可的大学入学测试,”密歇根州教育厅政府和公众事务负责人马缇阿克莱说，“相较于中西部，东西海岸更是如此。”

　　Cyndie Schmeiser, chief of assessment for College Board, said the redesigned SAT will be focused on what matters for college and career success and will reflect what Michigan students are learning in class.

　　College Board的测试主管辛迪称，新SAT重点关注影响大学和职业成就的因素，并且会反应密歇根中学生的学校学习状况。

　　“While the SAT, which is accepted at all Michigan universities, is a familiar exam to many in the state, we will make resources and support services focused on the key features of the redesigned assessment available to districts,” Schmeiser said in a statement. “This information will help districts understand how they can interpret and use the results to propel more students to college and career readiness.”

　　辛迪声明：“密歇根的很多学生都对SAT测试感到熟悉，全密歇根的大学都接受SAT;我们提供的资源和其它帮助服务主要聚焦于新SAT的特点，而这些信息将帮助各行政区了解如何解读和使用考试结果，以推动更多学生为大学和职业生涯做好准备。”

　　The announcement caught some in the education community off-guard Wednesday morning.

　　而此项声明的发布，让一些教育团体在周三早上感到措手不及。

　　Wendy Zdeb-Roper, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said she’s concerned about the timing of the change in test.

　　中学校长联合会主席温蒂称，她对考试改革的时机有顾虑。

　　“The thing that’s really, really difficult right now is high schools are trying to adapt to Common Core curriculum and the M-STEP (Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress) and online testing,” she said, “and the one thing that’s been consistent is the ACT … now we’re going to switch to a test that we’re completely unfamiliar with.”

　　“目前真正困难的事是各个高中都在尝试向核心课标,M-STEP和在线测试靠拢”，她说，“而唯一没有变化的就是ACT...现在我们要转向一个以前完全不熟悉的考试。”

　　The fact that the SAT is being redesigned and spring 2016 will be the first time the new test will be administered also concerned Zdeb-Roper. She said there’s not a lot of material out there to allow students to prepare for the test, since it will be mostly brand new in 2016.

　　同时，温蒂对SAT改革，且将于2016春季考试期试水这个安排也有顾虑。因为2016是新SAT考试第一年，能够提供给学生的备考材料并不充足。

　　“When the SAT is changing their assessment, it just makes it really difficult to prepare for that,” she said.

　　她说：“SAT改革使备考成为难题。”

(编辑：张剑乔)

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