The SAT Must Not Go Away
Just this week, a judge ruled that the University of California may no longer use SAT and ACT scores as an admission requirement. The largest college system in the country is not happy about the judge’s decision, saying that it “respectfully disagrees”.
The judge based his decision on the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, especially upon students with disabilities. He pointed out that for more than a year testing has been sporadic, test centers have been few and far between, and accommodations for students with special needs have been nearly non-existent. Consequently, test scores will not be considered this year in California.
Complicating matters, even before this week’s ruling, California has been leading the nationwide charge toward “test-optional” college admissions. Of the nearly four thousand degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States, hundreds have completely dropped the SAT and ACT as a requirement or settled upon the “test-optional” approach.
Where is all this going?
Many students would love for the SAT to go away forever. They view it as an unfair hardship, an unnecessary hurdle, and doesn’t accurately reflect their academic ability.
This begs the million-dollar question: If colleges are dropping the SAT and many students and teachers don’t like it, then who, exactly, wants these tests?
Well, I do — and I’m not alone on this. I believe the SAT must NOT go away. I have seen first-hand how badly the United States needs an annual, nationwide test given to all college-bound students.
Grade point average (GPA) is a very unreliable measure of a student’s academic ability. I have worked with hundreds of students with 4.0 and higher GPAs who have learned almost nothing in their high school classes. It’s actually shocking. Their knowledge of the basics of algebra and geometry is incredibly low. They have never learned the multiplication table. Their knowledge of grammar is zero, and their ability to write well is weak.
Only their low scores on the SAT and ACT reflect their true ability — or lack thereof.
Should such a student sail into whatever college they want to attend, based on a deceptively high GPA? Everyone would apply to Harvard, right?
For twelve years we send our children to school. During this period of their lives, their full-time job is to learn the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Toward the end of high school, we give them an academic test to determine how much they have learned. Is that so surprising or unfair?
There is a college for everyone. And if academics isn’t someone’s thing, that’s okay. Go to a vocational school or start your own business. Why pursue an advanced college degree if you aren’t good at academics?
But making SAT and ACT college entrance exams optional or dropping them all together is a big mistake. It’s hard enough for colleges to make acceptance decisions. We and they need a nationwide measure of academic ability, not just an academic transcript.
We live in an era where access to information is everywhere. You can get free test prep online 24/7. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can go to a library.
A high score on these tests means you are a well-informed, well-rounded person, at least academically. I have never met a high-scoring SAT or ACT student who doesn’t know their stuff. On the other hand, I constantly meet students from public and private schools who have high GPA’s who are completely unprepared for the academic rigors of university.
Pointing out that society privileges the rich, which is obvious, is not a valid reason for canceling a valid test. The ACT and SAT are not the problem. They are just the messenger. And like all messengers, they are in danger of being shot when they deliver unwelcome news, as sometimes they must.
Keep the SAT and ACT.
