Why is the SAT Bad?

• Studies have shown that both familial income and race are predictors of who will do better on the test (Geiser).
• Poor students get worse scores because they are not able to afford “coaches” and gain as much preparation as rich students: the “SAT has a more adverse impact on poor and minority applicants than high-school grades, class rank, and other measures of academic achievement; admissions criteria that emphasize demonstrated (Geiser)
• There are racial divides that fall along the socioeconomic biases of standardized testing that result in racialized outcomes: “the average scores for blacks (428) and Latinos (457) are significantly below those of whites (534) and Asians (598)” (Reeves and Halikias). While minorities score more poorly on the SAT, students whose parents come from the highest income bracket (over $200,000 a year) score 400 points higher than students whose parents come from the lowest income bracket (Jacobs).

Why Do People Want the SAT?

• The SAT was originally created to standardize the admissions process and help admissions counselors predict how students will do during their first year in college (Jaschik). Proponents of standardized testing argue that it is an accurate predictor of first year grades and helps all students in the long run.
• One university professor explains: “When I taught reading and writing to college freshmen, I knew what to expect from students whose verbal scores fell within the 400s, 500s, or 600s. When students with lower scores were asked to read an essay by George Orwell or Virginia Woolf, they became frustrated and seriously misread those texts. Only high scorers could deal with a well-written history textbook” (Marx)
• The data that proponents use is not definite, and many studies contradict that scores play any role in determining collegiate grades/success

How Should We Change It?

• Many schools have become test-optional; this is a good solution
• A new study found that at test optional schools, there was “virtually no difference” in the academic performance (measured in grades or graduation rates) of those who do and don’t submit scores (Jaschik- “Virtually No Difference”).
• We can see how not having standardized tests can create change because “students who do not submit test scores are more likely than those who do to be the first in their families to go to college, non-white, female or Pell Grant recipients” (Jaschik- “Virtually No Difference”).
• Making the SAT optional at all schools would help minorities and create diversity: two ethically good outcomes (Jaschick)