SAT Sits Not So Pretty In The Eyes of Some

SAT Sits Not So Pretty In The Eyes of Some

Over the years, there has been much controversy over the SAT. One of the questions that you WON'T find on the SAT is ~ What do the letters S.A.T. stand for?

A. Scholastic Assessment Test
B. Scholastic Aptitude Test
C. Silly Acid Test
D. Nothing

The answer is really (D). In June of 1926, when the test was first administered, it
stood for Scholastic Assessment Test. But some felt that the only thing it measured
was one’s aptitude for taking aptitude tests. Then there was objection to the content
and how the test was administered, so the word “assessment” was removed from
references to the test and now the acronym doesn’t match any combination of words
at all. Go figure.

The College Board, an association of more than 3,000 high schools and colleges
that administers the exam, acknowledges that the test is widely criticized but it is the
juggernaut of gateway examinations and continues to roll on, taken by as many as a
million or more students each year.

One of the main points of contention is that, on average, minorities score worse on the
test than whites. In California there is an organization called the Latino Eligibility Task
Force that has proposed to the State of California that the SAT be eliminated. Another
state with a high Latino population, Texas, has dropped standardized tests because
state law now calls for automatically admitting those students who finish in the top 10%
of their high school.

If a school wants to draw minorities, and a growing number of liberal-arts colleges do,
they may make test scores a non issue by making them optional. What’s interesting is
that schools that have made test scores optional, , Connecticut College in New London;
Muhlenberg in Allentown, Pa.; and Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa. and Bates
College in Lewiston, Maine say that quality hasn't suffered as a result.

What’s happening now with the SAT is that members of what is called the “ liberal
intelligentsia” are contending that the assumption made by the SAT that intelligence can
be measured digitally is bogus at its core. They argue that admissions officers should
not pay so much attention them. They contend that standardized tests do not, because
they cannot, anticipate future success of students in school. Others argue that the test
gives white the edge… not just whites but male whites in particular. One advocacy group calling itself by the catchy name “Fair Test” cranks out press releases that are designed to disinherit the SAT and remove it from its lofty perch in American education.

We at ABC College Planning have no solution to offer. The fact is, there are no real
alternatives to the SAT and its younger counterpart the ACT. So for now, we roll with
what we got and dance with whose name is on our dance cards.

In case you’re wondering, the ACT, seems to stand for American College Testing
Assessment and we are not really sure why it’s not called ACTA. It was produced
by an Iowa City testing company by the same name and is almost as widely taken as
the SAT but considered a bit less prestigious. ABC College Planning has no opinion
on this. But we do observe that the issue of race is not without merit. Could it be that
suburban kids can often afford the pricey coaching services that many minorities can’t?
Immigrants, and many for whom English is a second language, often struggle with the
verbal part.

What are your thoughts on these standardized tests for college entrance?

Learn more about planning for college at www.abcCollegePlanning.com