Time to dump the SATs?

Some years ago, former University of California
President Richard Atkinson called for dumping the SAT.
He wanted to replace it with tests that try to measure
achievement in specific subjects, rather than overall
aptitude. The testocrats shot him down, but it's still
a good idea and much better than a one-size-fits-all
test that doesn't live up to its promise.

Time to dump the SATs?

by Joe Rodriguez

They're trying to reform the SAT again, which is like
trying to turn a pit bull into a toy poodle. What they
ought to do is euthanize this mutt.

This time they've added a writing section to the
Scholastic Aptitude Test. That's because educators have
been saying that writing is critical for success in
college. Actually, university professors have been
saying this for centuries. You have to wonder why the
College Board, which administers the test, has only now
caught on.

Oh well, an essay question can't hurt, can it? I wish
the SAT had used one when I was a senior at Garfield
High School in East Los Angeles. All I remember are
algebra formulas I had never seen before, and
multiple-choice, verbal questions that looked
suspiciously like an IQ test.

The highest possible SAT score is 1600. I can't
remember my exact score, because I don't want to, but
it was under 900.

On second thought, I don't think a writing test would
have jacked up my score all that much. And it won't
make much difference today for students in schools like
mine. They don't have as many advanced placement
classes or experienced teachers. Nor do they have
affluent parents who can pay for expensive SAT
preparation courses, as they do at privileged schools.
Poor schools that can't teach reading and mathematics
aren't going to teach writing any better.

Did I forget to mention that the poorest schools in
Latino and black neighborhoods often don't have enough
textbooks and other basics? That helps explain the
growing gap between Latino and black SAT scores, and
white and Asian scores.

Since 1990, according to the College Board's own study,
the average verbal score among Mexican-American
students dropped 4 points and their math scores stayed
flat. Meanwhile, white students increased their verbal
scores by 9 points and math by 15. Asian scores rose by
16 on the verbal exam and 19 in math.

Some college systems, including the University of
California and Texas, try to compensate by accepting
the top 10 percent or so of each high school's
graduating class, but with mixed results. The fact is,
most colleges across the country rely too heavily on
the SAT. So do many scholarship programs.

Instead of tinkering with the SAT, we should kill it.

Although the test has its roots in the racist eugenics
movement of the early 20th century - they thought Jews
and African-Americans were inherently dumb and
college-incapable - the supporters of scholastic
testing doggedly pursued an exam that would measure how
much a student had learned in 12 years.

It wasn't a bad idea if it weren't so simplistic, lazy
and easily exploited.

A major flaw of today's SAT is that it's vulnerable to
coaching and short-term improvements. How can you trust
a test that, for the $800 price of a quickie prep
course, can produce a gain of 100 points?

A test isn't much good if it can't predict something,
and the SAT hasn't been proven to be a reliable
predictor of college success.

A few years ago, plucky little Muhlenberg College in
Pennsylvania measured the first-semester grades of
freshman with SAT scores of about 1000 against freshmen
with 1200 scores or better. The results were virtually identical.

But the absolute, worst assumption of the SAT is that
any young person's potential can be reduced to a
number. It assumes that, after four years of college, a
900-point student from a poor school cannot catch up to
or surpass the 1400-point student from a wealthy school.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sure glad
my boss didn't ask for my SAT score when I applied.
Come to think of it, none of my employers have ever asked.

Some years ago, former University of California
President Richard Atkinson called for dumping the SAT.
He wanted to replace it with tests that try to measure
achievement in specific subjects, rather than overall
aptitude. The testocrats shot him down, but it's still
a good idea and much better than a one-size-fits-all
test that doesn't live up to its promise.

Joe Rodriguez is a columnist at the San Jose Mercury
News.

© 2004, San Jose Mercury News
Distd by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

--
LP
In politics, moderation is the best policy

On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 14:57:54 -0400, LeMod Pol wrote:

>Some years ago, former University of California
>President Richard Atkinson called for dumping the SAT.
>He wanted to replace it with tests that try to measure
>achievement in specific subjects, rather than overall
>aptitude. The testocrats shot him down, but it's still
>a good idea and much better than a one-size-fits-all
>test that doesn't live up to its promise.
>
>Time to dump the SATs?

It appears that the science and math SATIIs predict
college success better than the SATs themselves and
better than any of the other achievement tests. Verbal
ability seems to have less bearing than math achievement.

http://unisci.com/stories/20021/0206023.htm


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits