For those in high school already starting to focus on college, there is a drive to do well in all areas of their character to boost the appearance of their college application. Students usually try to excel on the SATs, maintain a high GPA, and involve themselves in extracurricular activities in order to become the well-rounded, “renaissance man” or woman that colleges can’t surpass. Students understand that it is important to try their best in everything that they do, but should a three-hour, multiple choice test be a deciding factor on whether or not a person gets accepted into a college? Critics of the SAT accuse it of being classist, racist, a poor reflection of academic promise, and plainly unnecessary. The idea of the SAT is has potential …show more content…
William Hiss, Bates College former dean of admissions explains through a study that those college applicants who did not submit their standardized test scores had marginally smaller average GPAs graduation rates than those who did submit their test scores. Hiss states that “the nonsubmitters are doing fine in terms of their graduation rates and GPAs, and significantly outperforming their standardized testing” (Westervelt). Thomas Rochon, the president of Ithaca College and a former executive director of the GRE testing program confirms this observation, adding, “Our first realization was that test scores add relatively little to our ability to predict the success of our students” (Strauss). In becoming conscious of this reality, Ithaca admissions officers decided to also opt out of requiring standardized test scores in applications. More and more schools are following the footsteps of Bates and Ithaca in doing away with obligatory standardized test scores because they feel the tests do not truly depict the academic potential of college-bound …show more content…
According to Steele’s research, minority students easily recognize the negative stereotypes held against them by many members of society. They fear that performing poorly on the SAT will only confirm these stereotypes. As a result, they may second-guess themselves on easy questions, rush through the test to appear more confident than they really are, or ponder over a question too long and become more likely to run out of time. This form of anxiety added to the test-anxiety many students have when taking the SATs creates a huge disadvantage for minority
... a tedious process, but the change can have immense, positive effects for the future college student. The ACT and SAT that supposedly measure a student's learning potential through multiple-choice questions should be replaced by a test of a student's desire to learn determined through the analysis of essays, recommendation letters, and school or community involvement. This change can result in a more academically motivated freshman class. Standardized testing in its current form does not accurately measure most students' learning potential. It does not allow for diversity and creates a huge hurdle for many potential academic achievers. An adjustment to a diverse, open testing format of the ACT or SAT and a stress on the student's other academic accomplishments can accurately measure the student's desire to learn, therefore measuring the student's learning potential.
A study conducted by Charles Rooney a member of the National Center for Fair and Open testing states that, "[More than 275 colleges and universities across the United States, acting on the belief that "test scores do not equal merit," do not use the SAT or the ACT to make admissions decisions about some part or all of their freshmen.]"
The SAT's have sometimes been the deciding factor when determining a student's admission to a certain college, but recently colleges have stopped regarding SAT scores as the most important factor, and in some cases, colleges are now not even requiring applicants to submit their scores. This change in significance of the SAT's is due to recent controversy over the fairness of the test. According to Fair Test (2001) three hundred and eighty-eight schools do not require applicants to submit their SAT scores, and hundreds more do not place much emphasis on the scores. Because of the recent controversy and the number of schools not looking at or de-emphasizing the SAT's, the College Board, (the company in charge of designing, administering, and grading the test), has decided to make several changes to the format of the SAT's (which was just revised in 1994). These changes will take effect in the year 2005.
Many students feel stressed out when having to take standardized testing. According to Kaplan, colleges are relying too much on the SAT and ACT. They are using a long test that becomes equally weighted to years of school. That seems to be a little lopsided. A student can do well through out all high school and then score badly on the SAT or ACT and ruin all of the hard work that the student put forward in order to acquire good grades. That can alter the students lives by making them have to...
So, using these long multiple choice exams are what college’s consider to be a reflection of a student’s grades during their first year at college. The test maker itself explains that grade point averages during high school paint a better picture than their tests ("The ACT: Biased, Inaccurate, and Misused" 1). College’s use these standardized tests as a quick measure of ability. However, a test cannot explo...
Thousands of students around the country and around the world will be preparing for the SAT and ACT tests while trying to maintain a high GPA. These tests will potentially have a significant impact on students' lives. Some will be taking these tests for the second or even third time to get that 1500 out of 1600 or that 33 out of 36, that they long desire. These flawed tests are not truly able to measure how well students will perform in college as they are supposedly used to predict. A single test that students have to wake up for at six, seven in the morning on a Saturday and travel to some random location to take a difficult test should not impact the student's chance of getting into college, let alone predict how well they will do in college.
Have you ever wondered how some athletes have gotten so good at a certain sport? Have you ever thought about what they did in order for them to get this good? For some the answer is simple; workout and train. But for others the answer is different; the use of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids. There are some people that argue that steroids should be legalized and allowed in professional sports. Other people argue that steroids should not be allowed. Today I am going to state my opinion and justify my reason. Steroids should not be allowed in professional sports because it can be very dangerous to the athlete’s health, it is a way to gain and un-fair advantage and it can be dangerous in both social and physical aspects.
Data on SAT scores by race shows that White test-takers perform significantly better than all racial minorities with exception of Asians. African-Americans consistently perform most poorly on the SAT. One possible explanation is bias in question construction. The SAT uses an experimental section to test questions that may be used for the future. If they don’t test well, they are scrapped. If they do, they are placed on future tests. Jay Rosner analyzed 276 verbal and math questions from the 1998-2000 SATs. He discovered what he calls “Black questions,” which more Blacks than Whites answered correctly on the experimental sections. These questions never make it into the scored sections and instead, the SAT contains “White questions” (Rosner). Rosner argues that the questions are geared toward Whites, as test developers are mandated to recreate the norm, and the norm is White males outperforming their peers. Another form of racial bias that has been researched is Differential Item Functioning (DIF). A DIF question is one in which students “matched by proficiency” and other factors have variable scores, predictably by race, on selected questions. Santelices and Wilson found in 2010 that the SAT has these DIF questions, and
Rejection. A word that I despise; and is something that has happened to me so many times in so many different ways. One of those ways was being rejected from one of my many college choices because my SAT scores did not reach their requirements. “Why apply?” you may ask, although my SAT scores did not meet their requirements, everything else on my application was perfect. I had great grades in high school, I volunteered many times; both inside and outside of school, I always helped around in my school administration whenever help was needed, and I always dedicated a month of my summer just to help my school give out the school books to students and sell the school uniforms. Doing all those things and being rejected made me feel like I was nothing; like what I did in my school life was all a waste. After taking all of those things into consideration, I still got rejected because of my SAT scores; which is why I genuinely believe that colleges should admit students using criteria other than their SAT scores.
Educators have been questioning the validity of the SAT to determine college admission or to predict academic success because the test appears to be discriminatory and biased against women, minorities, and the poor (low income). The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which produces and administers the test, claims that the SAT in its current form "is an impartial and objective measure of student ability" (Owen 272). However, critics of the SAT argue "that tests like the SAT measure little more than the absorption of white upper-middle-class culture and penalize the economically disadvantaged" (Owen 10). The statistical reality of SAT scores is that: students who take coaching/prep courses do better than those who are not coached; men do better than women; whites do better than blacks; and the rich do better than the poor. Based upon my research, the SAT appears to be discriminatory against women, minorities, and the poor, and a test this flawed should not be used as a key factor in college admission or as a predictor of academic success.
"Anyone involved in education should be concerned about how overemphasis on the SAT is distorting educational priorities and practices, how the test is perceived by many as unfair, and how it can have a devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students," said University of California President Richard C. Atkinson in a speech he gives to the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.
Educators have been questioning the validity of the SAT to determine college admission or to predict academic success because the test appears to be discriminatory and biased against women, minorities, and the poor (low income). The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which produces and administers the test, claims that the SAT in its current form "is an impartial and objective measure of student ability" (Owen 272). However, critics of the SAT argue "that tests like the SAT measure little more than the absorption of white upper-middle-class culture and penalize the economically disadvantaged" (Owen 10). The statistical reality of SAT scores is that: students who take coaching/prep courses do better than those who are not coached; men do better than women; whites do better than blacks; and the rich do better than the poor. Based upon my research, the SAT appears to be discriminato...
Roe v. Wade: the Supreme Court case legalizing a woman's right to choose abortion has been around our entire lives. In 27 years, memories of back alley clinics have faded - the past is past, right? Wrong. It's too soon to start taking reproductive freedoms for granted. The next president will appoint two or three Supreme Court justices, potentially changing the Court's position on this pivotal case. George W. Bush supports the Republican call for a constitutional amendment outlawing abortions; do you think he, if elected, would appoint pro-choice justices? And why is it that while the majority of Americans support choice, the majority of Congress votes anti-choice? Are we supposed to just stand by and watch as the government tries to legislate our bodies?
I should receive a passing grade in this class because I can write now. Not just an exaggeration, but after another semester of English I finally feel confident that can write. Three of the reasons behind my confidence is I learned, I experienced and best of all I repeated. These three values helped prepare me for what is in store in English 1302 and here is why.
A pervasive issue in education today is the college entrance exams. There are several college exams used in the United States and around the world. These include the SAT, the ACT and many other various versions of those tests. These tests are an unfair and ineffective measure to determine a student’s acceptance into college. These tests to do not measure a student’s ability to master a subject rather they measure aptitude which is ineffective. Not only do students need to achieve academically, but they are also advised to have extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. Race and gender also play a huge role in acceptance letters to universities forcing the acceptances to be unfair.