Developing and Validating Instructionally Relevant Reading Competency Profiles Measured by the Critical Reading Section of the SAT Reasoning Test™

As part of its commitment to help all students connect to college success, The College Board is conducting ongoing research to provide descriptive, instructionally relevant feedback to students taking the SAT Reasoning Test™.1 The goal of this study was to identify the reading comprehension processes that are measured by the critical reading section of the SAT and thus lay the groundwork for future studies that will investigate whether valid and reliable information on these underlying component comprehension processes could be used to diagnose specific reading comprehension strengths and weaknesses. The ultimate goal of this research is to report meaningful and descriptive feedback for the SAT critical reading section that will enable school administrators, teachers, and parents to match students with appropriate instructional programs and thus prepare them for the sophisticated reading tasks they will encounter in college.