Major changes are in store for students of the class of 2017 regarding the SAT.

When these students are juniors in high school, in the spring of 2016, they will take the redesigned SAT.

The new test will be graded on a 400- to 1600-point scale and will consist of three sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the essay.  The essay, however, will now be optional.

According to College Board, the new SAT will challenge students to “apply a deep understanding of the few things shown by current research to matter most for college readiness and success.”

In addition to these changes, the test will be given on computers at some locations.  This will be the first time in history, since the creation of the test in 1926, that students will be able to take the test electronically.

Members of the class of 2017, however, are not particularly pleased with all of these upcoming changes.

Margot Brown feels the changes to the SAT will make it, “hard to stand out from everyone else.”

Another freshman, Patrick Cox, believes that College Board thinks students of his class are less intelligent than students of previous classes are.

“It sounds like they think we can’t achieve as much,” Cox said.

Overall, these two students are not fond of a redesigned test, though they are both happy that the essay is no longer mandatory.

Not only are students affected by a new SAT, but teachers are, as well.

Freshman English teacher, Nicole Rubloff, does not support the essay portion of the SAT being optional.

“You need writing in every aspect of life and with any job you choose to pursue,” Rubloff said.

Rubloff will not change her teaching methods and will continue to grade her student’s essays using the SAT writing rubric.

Sophomore English teacher, Kimberly Winters, will not alter her teaching methods either, as they are “geared more towards the student’s overall success.”

While she does not feel the writing section of the SAT is essential, she does believe it is a good indicator of intelligence.

Members of the senior class have all finished and sent in their college applications for the fall semester of 2014.  The current seniors seem unfazed by the news of the changes to the SAT, as many have already heard back from colleges about admission.

Two seniors, Kelly Malloy and Ben Pavich, said the majority of the colleges they applied to do not even consider the SAT writing section in the selection process.

“It is not a good change because there will be less differentiation between students in applying for colleges,” Malloy said.

James Madison University, a popular choice for many Dominion students, does not consider the writing section of its applicants.

JMU Admissions Officer, Ellie Garrity, does not feel the writing section of the SAT is essential.

“If you are going to generalize intelligence with a standardized test, reading and math are the subjects one should focus on,” Garrity said.

For James Madison Admissions Officers, a student’s SAT score is the third component they look at when determining whether or not they will offer admission to a student.  The first factor they look at is the difficulty of the student’s schedule, followed by the grades the student received in those classes.