In this May 2012 file photo, Chinese students wait outside the U.S. Embassy for their visa application interviews in Beijing, China. Thousands of Chinese students are flocking to U.S. colleges and universities, helping to drive the number of international students studying in America to record levels, according to a report released Nov. 11, 2013. Photo: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan
BEIJING - The SAT will change in 2016, and one of the changes is worrying some people in China. The test is required for most students who want to apply for an American four-year college. The new test will include documents from American history like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. ######

This week, journalists in China reported that Chinese leaders are paying attention to the new SAT. The reason they are anxious, reporters explained, is that the new SAT could make American ideas more popular. If students preparing for the SAT study American history, they may be more likely to agree with American points of view. ######

It Might Make Them Think

The College Board, the company that makes the SAT, admits that the revised test will contain powerful ideas. Documents like the Bill of Rights include arguments that could influence students. The U.S. ######

These are some of the ideas that China's leaders are worried about. China's government is more strict than America's when it comes to what citizens can and cannot do. The government also tries to control what people say and think. ###### Students are required to take "thoughts and morals" lessons to study Communist ideas. These classes start as early as first grade.

There is no way for the government to control what appears on the SAT, however. ###### Even though the ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine may seem familiar to American students, they were revolutionary for their time. For students growing up in China, they may be revolutionary still. This could by why China's government does not want its students reading them.

The Test Will Go On

###### Zhang Ming, who teaches at Renmin University, says the government should allow students to think more freely. It is possible that the new SAT might influence Chinese students. But these students are already being influenced by their own government. ######

However it affects students, the SAT will probably continue to be popular in China. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students have gone to school in the United States. Since 2010, China has sent more students to the United States each year than any other country.

###### Starting in spring 2016, this will mean that they will study some American history, even though their government may not want them to.]]>