The group that makes the SAT pinpointed the 2 most important skills for students to learn for future success

Young people learn countless skills in school, but apparently, there are two that are considered most important for future success. 

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman wrote on Wednesday that the leaders of the College Board, the nonprofit organization that runs the SAT exam, value the ability to master computer science and the US Constitution more than any other skills. 

Friedman said he spoke to two acquaintances at the College Board, who explained their reasoning. Mastering computing skills like basic coding makes students "more prepared for nearly every job" in the modern world, they said, while the Constitution "gives shape to America and defines our essential liberties" and is "the indispensable guide to our lives as productive citizens." 

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Now, the nonprofit is tailoring the SAT and its Advanced Placement classes around promoting those two skills. For example, since 2014, the SAT has included at least one reading comprehension passage from founding US documents, like the Constitution, or other important texts relating to democracy. 

"That said to students and teachers something the SAT had never dared say before: Some content is disproportionately more powerful and important, and if you prepare for it you will be rewarded on the SAT," Friedman wrote. 

Additionally, AP government courses are now placing more emphasis on founding documents and Supreme Court cases, he said. 

"Understanding how government works is the essence of power," Stefanie Sanford, the College Board's chief of global policy, told Friedman. "To be a strong citizen, you need to know how the structures of our government work and how to operate within them."

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