Tutor Talk: Leveling the Playing Field by Implementing Desmos in Standardized Testing

Desmos Changes the Equation

The most impactful change on both the digital SAT and ACT is the full implementation of Desmos. Once an optional web application used primarily for classroom instruction, Desmos is now embedded directly into testing applications such as College Board’s Bluebook platform, granting students seamless access to a modern graphing engine throughout the math sections. Desmos provides powerful streamlining of mathematical information, including (but not limited to) tables, functions, equations, systems, and graphs.

I often tell those I tutor that the ultimate combatant on standardized tests is not the questions, but rather the clock. Time management is crucial to success on both the SAT and ACT. We preach a “minute-per-question” approach to any math section. Prior to the implementation of Desmos, this approach proved extremely challenging. Now, however, the approach is more attainable than ever, since many questions can be reasoned through the help of Desmos. Regression modeling in particular allows for easy translation between table, function/equation, and graph. Desmos Sliders allow for quick approximation of variables, whereas previously students would have been forced to solve for each variable by hand, on paper, taking precious seconds of time.

From Calculator Skills to Mathematical Strategy

Consider finding x-intercepts for a given equation or function, a common task on both digital SAT and ACT tests. In the days when only TI-84 calculators were permitted, testers would have to manually enter the equation, observe the graph (often modifying the window to do so), execute a series of button commands, set bounds, and even venture a guess before the value of a single intercept would finally be revealed (repeat ad nauseam if the problem were particularly sinister and contained more than one x-intercept) – how utterly painstaking!

In Desmos, that same task can be accomplished in mere seconds by simply typing in the equation (no manipulations required) and clicking the already-mapped intercepts on the graph. Beyond equity (which Desmos provides unmitigatedly), simplicity is the true value that Desmos adds. And this simplicity extends to so many SAT/ACT topics: systems of equations and inequalities; complex numbers and operations; table conversion; function verification; equation solving; and regression modeling, (just to skim the surface).

Desmos Is a Tool, Not a Substitute for Thinking

As I proclaim to those I tutor, however, “User beware!” The inclusion of Desmos in standardized testing lowers the barrier to entry for students, turning abstract algebra into a visual, interactive experience. However, the tools provided by Desmos should not replace critical thinking. The tester must know what information Desmos needs and how to input it in an efficient and effective way. Often, Desmos provides a structure, an equation, a point, or a table that must then be reasoned through or expanded upon to ultimately arrive at a correct answer. There are still plenty of problems on both the SAT and ACT that must be answered by writing down the information and grinding out the math. Come SAT/ACT test day, students with strong algebraic foundations as well as Desmos know-how will maintain the winning edge. College Solutions tutors are here to help students gain the skillset and confidence to master both!