Demise of the Evil S.A.T.?
July 10th, 2008 by Kim
Ugh. The S.A.T.
Critical reading, annoying bubbles, faulty No. 2 pencils and finding "x" were the bane of my existence for more than half a year.
But now some schools are reevaluating the importance of the S.A.T. amidst debate about whether high scores correlate with high income, race and even gender, and whether the test is an accurate indicator of scholastic ability.
Smith College in Northampton, Mass. and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. two weeks ago became the latest in a growing list of schools -- mostly small, liberal arts colleges -- that no longer require S.A.T. or A.C.T. scores as part of their applications.
The NYT Editorial Board applauded the two schools for their decision yesterday, saying: "By going test-optional, Wake Forest and Smith hope to broaden their applicant pools and increase access for groups that are underrepresented at selective schools."
The S.A.T., after all, is not a measure of creativity, drive or other factors that can affect student performance. Despite these caveats, the test is widely touted as a sacred index that tells all. Educational rating services evaluate colleges based partly on the SAT scores of their students. Real estate brokers market homes based on the average scores at local public schools. Bond-rating companies even consider SAT scores when judging a college’s creditworthiness.
That is a lot of weight to place on one little test. It's probably why I spent hours in summer S.A.T. prep at Iolani ($515 for a 6-week course) and took the test three or four times. I viewed the S.A.T. a four-hour stress-fest that could either make or break my chances of getting into a good school. And I'm the kind of person who would rather write a 20-page paper than take a final exam any day -- read: bad test-taker.
Some colleges have found that eliminating the S.A.T. requirement broadens their applicant pool and can be a great marketing tool to potential applicants.
What would be the harm in all schools doing away with the S.A.T.? Well, the test does provide a valuable basis for comparison in lieu of grades. It's hard to cheat on the S.A.T. or have someone do it for you (like an essay, for example). With colleges and universities across the country reporting record numbers of applicants this year, I imagine standardized test scores may be becoming increasingly useful in comparing applications, or even establishing a cut-off point for qualified applicants.
For that reason I suspect the dreaded S.A.T. will probably be around for years to come. I just hate to see high schoolers rule out any school because their scores "are not high enough." It makes me uncomfortable to think that a four-hour test determines whether you are worthy of acceptance.
Tune in next week when I rail against the S.A.T.'s evil cousin -- the G.R.E.!
image: www.sat-answers.com.
Tags: academia, college, high school, SAT
July 10th, 2008 at 6:27 am
The SAT has its problems. There is some cultural (or regional) bias. Students in Hawaii have a hard time answering questions when the passage talks about living in the snow. And believe me, after taking the SAT, MCAT and 4 board exams, I understand the pain of it.
Despite that I still think that it's a useful tool. How else are we going to have a way of gauging students across the 50 states that's standardized? Curves are different in every school. Grades are given differently. Some places you can graduate with a max 4.5 GPA, and others only a 4.2. With the right charm or connections you can get a teacher or counselor to write you a very inflated letter of recommendation. All those things you mentioned that can affect SAT scores--income, race--can also affect grades.
The SAT and other standardized exams not only test knowledge, but they also test a student's ability to concentrate, focus and recall stored knowledge, skills that are essential to performing well in college.
People who study hard and with the right education even in the face of cultural bias should be able to do okay on the SAT, they may not be able to score a perfect score, but they should be able to do okay.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Once again an asian topic, what about hispanics, blacks, and caucasians?
July 10th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I don't think the SAT is necessary. A score based on few hours spent taking an exam doesn't seem to reflect as much as a student's GPA. I think more colleges today don't even look at SAT scores. Admissions are based more heavily on GPA.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Kelli: I disagree. GPA is good to compare students that went to the same school, but when students are applying from all over the nation(world?), there needs to be common ground to make fair comparisons across all schools. Standardized tests are the only way that's possible.
guest: You're joking right?
July 10th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Doing away with a standardized test seems extreme that could benefit ironically students from presigious and private schools and/or students with connections. Why not place less on the SAT (or other standardized test) score, instead?
July 10th, 2008 at 9:42 am
my daughter will be a high school senior this fall - she is presently embroiled in the whole college app process. Her counselor told her she needed to improve her SAT scores because they did not match her (high) GPA. She is now taking the same class Kim took at Iolani. This class seems not to teach the subject so much but more, how to take the test. This leaves me thinking that SAT scores may not be such a standard measurement of knowledge, but more a measurement of how well someone can take a multiple choice test.
guest: since when is the subject of a standardized test Asian?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am
oops .... I meant "Why not place less EMPHASIS on the SAT (or other standardized test) score, instead?
I think it's true that it teaches how to take a multiple choice test. There are so many other examples of a multiple choice test not necessarily reflecting a person's ability/knowledge/smarts. For instance, the bar examination for attorneys screens out a large percentage of very smart and capable people. I know someone who moved here after practicing law for many years in another state. She went to both a top 10 undergrad and law school. She didn't pass the test the two times she took it here and so she cannot practice law in Hawaii. That to me is unfair. Yet, at the same time I feel there needs to be some type of standardized criteria by which students/applicants are judged, whether it's an entrance exam or final exam, because that's what drives excellence/rewards in schools or a chosen field.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I took the SAT only once.
420 verbal, 740 math
was nuff to get into UH so nevah try again.
what was yours?
July 10th, 2008 at 11:57 am
"420 verbal.....was nuff to get into UH so nevah try again." -- classic!
July 10th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Oh yeah it's all there. Correlation between high scores, high income, race and gender.
Hopes to broaden applicant pools and increase access for groups that are underrepresented at selective schools.
Summer S.A.T. prep at Iolani ($515 for a 6-week course) and took the test three or four times.
Some colleges have found that eliminating the S.A.T. requirement broadens their applicant pool and can be a great marketing tool to potential applicants.
See it's all there if you look hard enough and follow stereotypical notions of the under represented, high income, high SAT score Iolani over acheiver.
I graduated from Aiea in a low income family with low SAT scores and went to HCC, LCC and UHM without anyone ever mentioning SAT score. In fact when I took the SAT I just filled in the bubbles following a graphic arts type of mosaic patterm that looked cool.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Guest,
Seems strange that you would say that Asians are underrepresented in higher education (?) -- didn't we just have this discussion?
love,
Proud Iolani Overachiever
July 10th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Asian Americans as a whole are separated more like an hour glass as opposed to a bell-shaped curve. While you may find a lot of Chinese, Japanese and Koreans that score high on the SAT, you will find a lower proportion of Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong with high scores compared to the former group.
I don't see this as an Asian thing at all.
I went to public school and after 1 day of the SAT prep class I quit because I thought the class was a joke. Teach me how to take a test as opposed to increasing my knowledge base? Lame. To prepare for the SAT I just did my regular homework.
How much can one truly score higher with "good test taking skills" as opposed to poor ones. Yes, you may not get into Harvard if you score a 1500 instead of 1600, but you'll still get into a good college.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I got some love from Kim!!!
Go Bows!!! Go Na Alii!!!
July 10th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I think the biggest fault of the SAT/ACT and other standardized tests is that taking those prep courses helps you to get a better score and not everyone can afford them. My family couldn't when I was in high school and I probably would have scored higher if I had taken one.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
guest: if you went the community college and UHM route - why did you even take the SAT? why would you pay money to take a test that you "filled in the bubbles following a graphic arts type of mosaic patterm (sic) that looked cool."? that says a lot about you. some people take education more seriously.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Just netflix the "The Perfect Score" dvd about a desperate group of kids trying to steal the SAT answer keys and stick it to Da Man!
Kinda old but fun to watch!
July 11th, 2008 at 8:37 am
One thing that I learned in college was to capitalize each letter at the beginning of every sentence. As I remember it the mandatory test was given free during school hours.
I blame my lack of seriousness for education on my parents who did not instill on me that to get a good job one needs to have that piece of paper that shows that one has the drive and dedication to endure years of rigamarole.
Funny story: One day while sitting in a restroom stall at UHM I went to grab some tissue off the roll. Written above the roll of tissue with an arrow pointed to it there was written, "UH diploma, take one." Whooo I almost fell off the throne laughing so hard.
Anyway after years of working at "going no where" jobs that included going to car dealerships that showed the price of the cars that I wanted in the $50-70K range. I woke up one day and said I need to get a degree. This was after ten years of my graduating from AHS. Five years later I had my MIS degree and a Pontiac Firehawk Trans Am that cost $40k. Today I drove my C5 Corvette to work and have to stress that education is important.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Kim, you may want to let the Advertiser's marketing department know that requiring answers to a demographic questionnaire in order to view the site is an unbelievably stupid practice. An optional click-through is annoying, but acceptable, but a required questionnaire is just obnoxious.
Were it not for your blog specifically, this would have been my last visit to the Advertiser's website: I imagine there are many more casual users who are being rebuffed.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
carolyn: Your comment on #6 nailed it. I took an SAT prep class offered at my alma mater – McKinley. The class really does focus on test taking skills. They taught us HOW to take a test. For example, think of the answer before looking at the choices and find the one that matches.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:12 am
doofus,
Math 710, Verbal 540 (1984)
Only a 3.3 GPA at a public school. No SAT prep classes, though I did borrow a prep exercise manual from the library once. From what I remember, math doesn't really go that high anyway, so taking Trig and Calculus (like I was my senior year) won't help at all. Kind of weird that I typically got C's or B's math (though 'higher math') and generally B's or A's in college prep English. I found it relatively rare for someone locally to score higher on their verbal, with those that did tending not to have the highest math scores. Also, the students that did well on both were students that hauled SAT prep books and pocket dictionaries around.
I guess I did well enough on my PSAT to start getting college brochures sent to my home starting at the end of my sophomore year. I still remember my first was from Boston U. Noticed that the small liberal arts colleges really make an effort to recruit students, as the names Beloit, Grinell, and Puget Sound remain in my consciousness. Send back one card from PSU, they mailed the course catalog book. UH would never do that.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
It should be noted that I am not this person posting as "guest" - meaning I didn't bring up the "another Asian topic" quote again. (I do find it infinity, hilariously awesome, though)
So, in essence, yes you did have that conversation, but not with him/her/shim.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Cute, she is going through her "quarterlife crisis" - That is why she keeps going on about SAT's and undergrad living and other things that should be in Kelli Miura's blog.
It's ok Kim, I seriously understand. We'd all like to still be undergrad college students - or atleast of the typical undergrad age. I am just marveling about how brilliant the blog title fits the posts. I think we all go through this around the 24-27 age range.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:46 am
These responses are interesting. First, of all the SAT is ONE of the areas that colleges look at--others being...GPA, Community Service, Extra curricular activities...teacher recs. Yes, we do need something STANDARD...an A at Iolani and an A at MPI and an A at McKinley do not mean the same thing.
Grades are INFLATED...thus, the counselor was probably right in saying a higher SAT was needed to correlate with the HIGH GPA.
Talking about going to college THEN is different then going to college NOW. The Applicant pool is larger, more jobs demand a college degree so being cavalier about the SAT and grades are not contributing much to a necessary discussion.
Kim, thanks for bringing up the topic...but if it is not the ACT or SAT, another way to standard measurement is needed to be fair across the US. Hey, if not, maybe Hawaii will be at a disadvantage without the SAT...just because we don't have snow is no reason not to know about it.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Sushi -
Absolutely! Nostalgia for college life is definitely among the symptoms of the quarterlife crisis. But, taking the SAT is definitely one thing I don't miss about being 18 again.
BTW, the original suggested title of this blog WAS "Quarterlife Crisis."
July 14th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Many years ago, I was teaching in American Samoa. One day, one of my worst students--Masi--came to me with a big smile on his face. "Hey, teach, I got 800 on my SAT's!" Since Masi was having trouble adding three columns of numbers and had little regard for punctuation, I was astounded. But I warmly congratulated him for this little miracle. "That's wonderful! How did you do it?", I asked.
"Well," he explained. "I got 400 on my English and 400 on my math...800!!" I didn't have the heart to tell him that 1,600 was the perfect score.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Kelli said that SAT's are not necessary. She may be right. Twenty-four years ago, Bates College--a highly selective liberal arts college in Maine--made SAT scores optional for applicants. After collecting more than two decades of data from 7,000 students, the school found out that non-submitters had SAT scores that averaged 160 points lower than submitters, yet graduation rates for the two groups were virtually identical!
By making the test optional, Bates discovered that were able to attract more minority, rural and working class students, who traditionally do poorer on the SAT's and who tend not to apply to prestigious schools where they really can do the work. Said Bates Vice President William Hiss: "We have to get out of this box where America feels SAT scores define quality."
August 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I think we should do away with all prep activities period. Honestly, SAT's do reflect your income level because rich parents can afford SAT prep. I took the SAT once because I couldn't even afford a second time (or the ACT), but I got a 560 verbal and 600 math. It was high enough to qualify me for a scholarship at my school.