Thousands of high school students spend the spring semester of their junior year stressing and studying for one of the most important tests that will get them into college, the SAT. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), created in 1920, is used to select each year's incoming freshman class.(source ) The “standardized test” is regarded as the test that will predict how students do in college. Therefore, colleges use students SAT score as the deciding factor on whether they are accepted into their dream school or denied due to not reaching the “benchmark.” Many strongly stand by the SAT as they believe it is the test that provides students “equal footing” ( Source) and allows them to demonstrate what they have learned from their high school experience. However, …show more content…
Therefore, the SAT should not be a deciding factor for college admissions as it is an unfair assessment of student potential.
Based on information released from college board from the 2009 average SAT scores, there is a significant gap between white test takers and racial minorities. Why would there be racial bias in a standardized test, a test where “many test experts and educators consider to be fair and an objective way of assessing academic achievement?” (https://www.edglossary.org/standardized-test/) According to Researcher Jay Rosner, the reason for the consistent gap between white and racial minorities, especially African Americans, is because of the elimination of “black questions.” (source) College board uses an experimental section on the SAT to test questions that could be implemented in future tests. If the questions don’t test well, they are removed. However, test administrators decide what question