SAT Pros And Cons
Kaila DeBesse
Eliminate the SAT The Scholastic Aptitude Test, better known as the SAT, is, “a test designed to predict college performance and to provide a means for admissions people to compare prospective students who have the same grades, but who come from widely varying high schools in different parts of the country” (Keisler 1). This standardized test has caused an immense amount of controversy all because of conflicting opinions arguing whether or not that definition is truly accurate. The SAT has created many problems for a number of high school students while trying to embark on a college career, and I claim that eliminating the SAT permanently and, instead, judging students on other educational aspects would be very beneficial. The first controversy pertaining to the SAT is that it eliminates many minorities from being able to attend college due to poor educational preparation. It is …show more content…
so important for students to pursue higher education after high school, but it is hard when so many students are subject to poor teaching. In an article entitled “The New SAT and Minorities”, it is stated that, “[T]he lower performance of blacks and Hispanics reflects the fact that blacks and Hispanics tend to be clustered in poor schools offering outdated curricula taught by ill-prepared teachers” (Artze 1). Charles Kiesler, author of the article “Affirmative Action and the SAT”, claims that student’s who have access to courses targeted at training a student for college-level work are more likely to perform well on the SAT (3). Kiesler says that, “The bias is in the lack of access to [college-prep] courses for minorities in our K-12 system”(3). Another argument is that standardized tests are produced to favor a certain population or class. In The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Raymond J. Corsini says the cultural bias hypothesis states, “…the item contents of the tests are selected much more from the typical experiential background of certain groups (e.g., the white middle class) than from that of other groups (e.g., the poor and racial minorities), thereby favoring certain groups with higher average scores…” (415). Another problem with the SAT is that it is a false reflection of a student’s knowledge. This standardized test can very easily cause a number of students to experience severe test anxiety, especially girls. In an article by Ellen Altermantt and Minha Kim, they claim that girls have shown evidence of worrying more than boys about academic performance since early childhood (2). Altermantt and Kim state, “Indeed, many studies show that students with high levels of test anxiety perform more poorly on cognitive tasks than students with low levels of test anxiety; even when levels of ability are similar” (2). In the book Test Anxiety: The State of the Art, Moshe Zeidner claims, “As the consequences and stakes of test performance assume a more important role in school and society, such as determining whether a student is promoted to the next grade…or is admitted to a top university…students would be expected to experience greater concern and anxiety about evaluative events” (6). Another negative aspect of the SAT is that wealthy students have an unfair advantage in preparing for the test This standardized exam sets high class students up for great success. Charles Murray, the author of “Abolish the SAT”, is convinced that student’s whose parents earn a high level of income can help them do better on the SAT because they can afford to buy their children SAT tutoring. (3). “If you’re rich, you can enroll your children in Kaplan, or Princeton Review, or even get private tutors to coach your kids in the tricks of test taking, and thereby increase their SAT scores by a couple hundred points.” (Murray 6). In the book, Rethinking the SAT: The Future of Standardized Testing in University Admissions by Rebecca Zwick, Lani Guinier, an academic of Harvard University, claims that the SAT should just be classified as the “wealth test” (qtd. in Zwick 203). Murray also claims “…knowing [SAT] scores is too dispiriting for those who do poorly and too inspiriting for those who do well” (9). There are different opinions and different sides to any sort of controversy, and it is no different when discussing the controversy of the SAT. I believe that doing away with the SAT would be very beneficial for a number of reasons, but not everyone will agree. There are many people who claim that the SAT is very much needed in the college acceptance process. In an article by Anthony Dick, entitled “Keep the SAT Prominent in Admissions”, he claims that the acceptance process suddenly is random and unfair without a solid and balanced comparison to judge students from (par 3). Dick believes that evaluating students without SAT scores but with other educational aspects has the possibility of the same injustice that people claim this standardized test to posses (par 6). Dick claims, “SAT scores provide colleges with a valuable intelligence-based method of evaluation that is uniform across the country and thus uniquely situated to facilitate an objective comparison of different applicants’ abilities” (par 3). Dick, in closing, states, “But as far as standards go, the SAT is one upon which colleges can, and should continue to, rely” (par 8). Another opinion, opposite of mine, is argued in the article “The SAT and Affirmative Action”. In this piece, College Board President, Donald Stewart claims, “…the test is actually a good predictor of college performance of Hispanics and all ethnic groups.” Stewart believes that the SAT should be used as a pin pointer of student’s particular weak spots and from there, think about aiding these limitations. The article states, “The removal of the SAT from the admissions equation represents a short term solution that, according to Stewart, may also be shortsighted” (The SAT and Affirmative Action 1). In a book entitled The Conditions for Admission: Access, Equity, and the Social Contract of Public Universities by John Douglass, he believes that standardized tests can decipher the different types of grading in schools and are the one worldwide determining factor of a student’s skill level. Keith Widaman, a member of BOARS, contends, “Simply eliminating the SAT and other standardized tests altogether…would pose several major problems, and despite the claims of some would not improve student diversity at the University” (qtd. in Douglass 218) In order to abolish these problems, I propose the solution of eliminating the SAT permanently and having college admission professionals predict student’s college success on high school GPA, class rank, and extracurricular activities/ involvement. People attend four years of high school, producing plenty of evidence to indicate the type of student they are liable to be. In their book entitled, The Case Against the SAT, Crouse and Truseim consider, “The important question is how well [colleges] could evaluate a candidate’s credentials without the SAT” (147). These two academics believe that schools could judge students very efficiently (147). This proposed solution will work because of how simple it is for college acceptance officers to obtain information about a student from their high schools. Crouse and Truseim claim that in most instances, admission professionals know a great deal about a number of high schools, such as how students from a specific high school have performed at the college level (147). Crouse and Truesim directly stated “…the admissions officer can simply pick up a telephone and request information such as rank in class, course syllabi, or college attendance rates for other graduating classes” (147). This solution will be beneficial because it will eliminate all the unfairness that is brought to the surface from the SAT. If the SAT is no longer used and is abolished altogether, then students, particularly minorities, will be offered more of an opportunity to attend college. In Kiesler’s article, it is stated that, “The [University of California] committee reasoned that more Hispanics would be admitted if their SAT scores were unknown” (2). Therefore, getting rid of the SAT would help improve campus diversity. Dumping the SAT would also solve the problem of students believing that they are one of the most highly intellectual individuals just because of a superior score on the SAT. Murray claims that eliminating the SAT would do away with the thought that a high test score on the SAT automatically proves a student is intelligent (9). Doing away with the SAT would benefit less privileged students who cannot afford the highly expensive tutoring classes that wealthy students can easily attend. Dumping the SAT, Murray considers, is advantageous because this standardized test is “[n]o longer seen as a compensating resource for the unprivileged, [but] has become a corrosive symbol of privilege” (6). I strongly believe that eliminating the SAT is the most beneficial solution for a number of reasons. It is so unfair for so many students to be turned away from the college of their choice because of one bad test score. Like I stated earlier, it is an inaccurate reflection of a student’s true knowledge. Student’s could experience test anxiety, or simply cannot afford to take the fancy and expensive SAT tutoring classes. A student should not be penalized because they happen to be in a lower socioeconomic class, or because they are a minority and have to attend a school with out of date curriculum. Colleges and Universities can very accurately predict what type of student a person will be through high school GPA, class rank, or their dedication to extra curricular activities and school, or society, involvement. Abolishing the SAT will due away with an immense amount of unreasonableness and open up the doors of college to a whole new group of well deserved students.
Works Cited
Altermatt, Ellen Rydell, and Minha Esther Kim.
“Getting Girls De-Stereotyped for SAT Exams.” Education Digest 70:1 Sept. 2004: 43-47. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 7 Oct. 2007 http:// www.ebscohost.com.
Artze, Isis. “The New SAT and Minorities”. Education Digest. 68:6 Feb. 2003: 1-4. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 11 Nov. 2007 http:// www.ebscohost.com
Corsini, Raymond J. The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. John Wiley and Sons. 2001.
Crouse, James and Dale Trusheim. The Case Against the SAT. Chicago. 1998
Dick, Anthony. “Keep the SAT Prominent in Admissions”. The Daily Texan.
26 Nov. 2003: 1
Douglass, John. The Conditions for Admission: Access, Equity, and the Social Contract
of Public Universities. Stanford University Press. 2007
Kiesler, Charles A. “Affirmative Action and the SAT”. Education Week. 17:24 Feb. 1998
1-4. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 11 Nov.
2007
http:// www.ebscohost.com
Murray Charles. “Abolish the SAT.” The American, A Magazine of Ideas.
Jul./Aug. 2007: 1-11.
“The SAT and Affirmative Action.” Journal of Development Education 22.1 (1998): 39-. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 4 Oct. 2007 http://www.ebscohost.com
Zeidner, Moshe. Test Anxiety: The State of the Art. Springer Publishing. 1998.
Zwick, Rebecca. Rethinking the SAT: The Future of Standardized Testing in University Admissions. Routledge. 2004.
Eliminate the SAT The Scholastic Aptitude Test, better known as the SAT, is, “a test designed to predict college performance and to provide a means for admissions people to compare prospective students who have the same grades, but who come from widely varying high schools in different parts of the country” (Keisler 1). This standardized test has caused an immense amount of controversy all because of conflicting opinions arguing whether or not that definition is truly accurate. The SAT has created many problems for a number of high school students while trying to embark on a college career, and I claim that eliminating the SAT permanently and, instead, judging students on other educational aspects would be very beneficial. The first controversy pertaining to the SAT is that it eliminates many minorities from being able to attend college due to poor educational preparation. It is …show more content…
so important for students to pursue higher education after high school, but it is hard when so many students are subject to poor teaching. In an article entitled “The New SAT and Minorities”, it is stated that, “[T]he lower performance of blacks and Hispanics reflects the fact that blacks and Hispanics tend to be clustered in poor schools offering outdated curricula taught by ill-prepared teachers” (Artze 1). Charles Kiesler, author of the article “Affirmative Action and the SAT”, claims that student’s who have access to courses targeted at training a student for college-level work are more likely to perform well on the SAT (3). Kiesler says that, “The bias is in the lack of access to [college-prep] courses for minorities in our K-12 system”(3). Another argument is that standardized tests are produced to favor a certain population or class. In The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Raymond J. Corsini says the cultural bias hypothesis states, “…the item contents of the tests are selected much more from the typical experiential background of certain groups (e.g., the white middle class) than from that of other groups (e.g., the poor and racial minorities), thereby favoring certain groups with higher average scores…” (415). Another problem with the SAT is that it is a false reflection of a student’s knowledge. This standardized test can very easily cause a number of students to experience severe test anxiety, especially girls. In an article by Ellen Altermantt and Minha Kim, they claim that girls have shown evidence of worrying more than boys about academic performance since early childhood (2). Altermantt and Kim state, “Indeed, many studies show that students with high levels of test anxiety perform more poorly on cognitive tasks than students with low levels of test anxiety; even when levels of ability are similar” (2). In the book Test Anxiety: The State of the Art, Moshe Zeidner claims, “As the consequences and stakes of test performance assume a more important role in school and society, such as determining whether a student is promoted to the next grade…or is admitted to a top university…students would be expected to experience greater concern and anxiety about evaluative events” (6). Another negative aspect of the SAT is that wealthy students have an unfair advantage in preparing for the test This standardized exam sets high class students up for great success. Charles Murray, the author of “Abolish the SAT”, is convinced that student’s whose parents earn a high level of income can help them do better on the SAT because they can afford to buy their children SAT tutoring. (3). “If you’re rich, you can enroll your children in Kaplan, or Princeton Review, or even get private tutors to coach your kids in the tricks of test taking, and thereby increase their SAT scores by a couple hundred points.” (Murray 6). In the book, Rethinking the SAT: The Future of Standardized Testing in University Admissions by Rebecca Zwick, Lani Guinier, an academic of Harvard University, claims that the SAT should just be classified as the “wealth test” (qtd. in Zwick 203). Murray also claims “…knowing [SAT] scores is too dispiriting for those who do poorly and too inspiriting for those who do well” (9). There are different opinions and different sides to any sort of controversy, and it is no different when discussing the controversy of the SAT. I believe that doing away with the SAT would be very beneficial for a number of reasons, but not everyone will agree. There are many people who claim that the SAT is very much needed in the college acceptance process. In an article by Anthony Dick, entitled “Keep the SAT Prominent in Admissions”, he claims that the acceptance process suddenly is random and unfair without a solid and balanced comparison to judge students from (par 3). Dick believes that evaluating students without SAT scores but with other educational aspects has the possibility of the same injustice that people claim this standardized test to posses (par 6). Dick claims, “SAT scores provide colleges with a valuable intelligence-based method of evaluation that is uniform across the country and thus uniquely situated to facilitate an objective comparison of different applicants’ abilities” (par 3). Dick, in closing, states, “But as far as standards go, the SAT is one upon which colleges can, and should continue to, rely” (par 8). Another opinion, opposite of mine, is argued in the article “The SAT and Affirmative Action”. In this piece, College Board President, Donald Stewart claims, “…the test is actually a good predictor of college performance of Hispanics and all ethnic groups.” Stewart believes that the SAT should be used as a pin pointer of student’s particular weak spots and from there, think about aiding these limitations. The article states, “The removal of the SAT from the admissions equation represents a short term solution that, according to Stewart, may also be shortsighted” (The SAT and Affirmative Action 1). In a book entitled The Conditions for Admission: Access, Equity, and the Social Contract of Public Universities by John Douglass, he believes that standardized tests can decipher the different types of grading in schools and are the one worldwide determining factor of a student’s skill level. Keith Widaman, a member of BOARS, contends, “Simply eliminating the SAT and other standardized tests altogether…would pose several major problems, and despite the claims of some would not improve student diversity at the University” (qtd. in Douglass 218) In order to abolish these problems, I propose the solution of eliminating the SAT permanently and having college admission professionals predict student’s college success on high school GPA, class rank, and extracurricular activities/ involvement. People attend four years of high school, producing plenty of evidence to indicate the type of student they are liable to be. In their book entitled, The Case Against the SAT, Crouse and Truseim consider, “The important question is how well [colleges] could evaluate a candidate’s credentials without the SAT” (147). These two academics believe that schools could judge students very efficiently (147). This proposed solution will work because of how simple it is for college acceptance officers to obtain information about a student from their high schools. Crouse and Truseim claim that in most instances, admission professionals know a great deal about a number of high schools, such as how students from a specific high school have performed at the college level (147). Crouse and Truesim directly stated “…the admissions officer can simply pick up a telephone and request information such as rank in class, course syllabi, or college attendance rates for other graduating classes” (147). This solution will be beneficial because it will eliminate all the unfairness that is brought to the surface from the SAT. If the SAT is no longer used and is abolished altogether, then students, particularly minorities, will be offered more of an opportunity to attend college. In Kiesler’s article, it is stated that, “The [University of California] committee reasoned that more Hispanics would be admitted if their SAT scores were unknown” (2). Therefore, getting rid of the SAT would help improve campus diversity. Dumping the SAT would also solve the problem of students believing that they are one of the most highly intellectual individuals just because of a superior score on the SAT. Murray claims that eliminating the SAT would do away with the thought that a high test score on the SAT automatically proves a student is intelligent (9). Doing away with the SAT would benefit less privileged students who cannot afford the highly expensive tutoring classes that wealthy students can easily attend. Dumping the SAT, Murray considers, is advantageous because this standardized test is “[n]o longer seen as a compensating resource for the unprivileged, [but] has become a corrosive symbol of privilege” (6). I strongly believe that eliminating the SAT is the most beneficial solution for a number of reasons. It is so unfair for so many students to be turned away from the college of their choice because of one bad test score. Like I stated earlier, it is an inaccurate reflection of a student’s true knowledge. Student’s could experience test anxiety, or simply cannot afford to take the fancy and expensive SAT tutoring classes. A student should not be penalized because they happen to be in a lower socioeconomic class, or because they are a minority and have to attend a school with out of date curriculum. Colleges and Universities can very accurately predict what type of student a person will be through high school GPA, class rank, or their dedication to extra curricular activities and school, or society, involvement. Abolishing the SAT will due away with an immense amount of unreasonableness and open up the doors of college to a whole new group of well deserved students.
Works Cited
Altermatt, Ellen Rydell, and Minha Esther Kim.
“Getting Girls De-Stereotyped for SAT Exams.” Education Digest 70:1 Sept. 2004: 43-47. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 7 Oct. 2007 http:// www.ebscohost.com.
Artze, Isis. “The New SAT and Minorities”. Education Digest. 68:6 Feb. 2003: 1-4. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 11 Nov. 2007 http:// www.ebscohost.com
Corsini, Raymond J. The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. John Wiley and Sons. 2001.
Crouse, James and Dale Trusheim. The Case Against the SAT. Chicago. 1998
Dick, Anthony. “Keep the SAT Prominent in Admissions”. The Daily Texan.
26 Nov. 2003: 1
Douglass, John. The Conditions for Admission: Access, Equity, and the Social Contract
of Public Universities. Stanford University Press. 2007
Kiesler, Charles A. “Affirmative Action and the SAT”. Education Week. 17:24 Feb. 1998
1-4. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 11 Nov.
2007
http:// www.ebscohost.com
Murray Charles. “Abolish the SAT.” The American, A Magazine of Ideas.
Jul./Aug. 2007: 1-11.
“The SAT and Affirmative Action.” Journal of Development Education 22.1 (1998): 39-. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Blinn Coll. Lib., Bryan, TX. 4 Oct. 2007 http://www.ebscohost.com
Zeidner, Moshe. Test Anxiety: The State of the Art. Springer Publishing. 1998.
Zwick, Rebecca. Rethinking the SAT: The Future of Standardized Testing in University Admissions. Routledge. 2004.