The days of the make-or-break SAT score may be numbered.
???At the recent annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Harvard Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons presented the results of the Study of the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admissions.
???While the study does defend the positive applications of the SAT as a measure of mental dexterity, it also points out what people have known for years: the tests are "incredibly imprecise" in measuring academic ability or performance in college.
???Standardized test are easy for people to ace, if the person taking the test has the benefit of 10 years of standardized test-prep in school. There are tricks that many children in more affluent areas are taught from day one that almost guarantee higher grades, but that's all they are: tricks.
???The SATs, like the IQ test, will soon have a grain of salt so closely associated with them that it seems ingrained. People will have to educate themselves and others on what, if anything, mental dexterity predicts about a person.
???It is apparent, after all, that the SATs do not predict academic success. The presence of so many people who did poorly on the test and maintain a near-4.0 average proves this.
???Of course, this is not to say that the SATs should be done away with. A 1600 is still a 1600. (Or 2400, these days.) But for college admissions offices to count the SAT so heavily towards their decisions is heinous. A person's entire high school career should be taken into account, from extracurricular activities to academic ability to creativity. This is a lot more work, but that's why people are paid to make admissions decisions.
???Earn that money. Stop taking the easy way out, and give these children an honest consideration.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
