The College Board's New Essay Reverses Decades of Progress
Toward Literacy   Those of us who took the SAT remember what we
got on that test, even if we took it long ago. On the other
hand, few of us recall our high-school GPA, and the permanent
record that was supposed to follow us forever has vanished
without a trace. But the score that propelled us into the
college of our choice, or kept us out, stays with us, surfacing
at cocktail parties or when our children or our students ask,
"Whadja get?" as they begin to worry about the SAT's ability to
open the doors of the college of their choice.  The SAT hasn't
changed dramatically since I took it 45 years ago (my scores are
none of your business), but now and then it has been overhauled,
at least on the surface. On March 12 some 330,000 American high-
school students took the newly revised SAT, expanded to include
a writing sample. Exit polls report the following responses to
the latest version of America's high-stakes college-entrance
exam:  1.        The Colleg