New York City Will Make SAT Free For Juniors.

The New York Times (10/27, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports New York City will begin offering the SAT free to all public school juniors. The test will be administered during the school day, instead of on aSaturday, which is the current practice. The change takes effect in the spring of 2016-17, and New York joins “several statewide efforts to increase the number of students taking college entrance exams.” According to the Education Department, only 56 percent of the city’s class of 2015 took the SAT at least once.         Chalkbeat New York (10/26) adds that the initiative will cost the city about $1.8 million per year. It is part of a “number of new efforts of Mayor Bill de Blasio to help more city graduates reach college.” Chancellor Carmen Fariña said Monday, “This is saying, we believe in you, we know you are ready to go to college.” She added that the initiative will be “paired with new teacher training, classroom materials, and parent workshops that focus on preparing students for college.”