Standardized Testing Scores and College Admissions
Every year, millions of students across the United States take the SAT or ACT. These tests determine where a student is admitted to for college, so it is no coincidence standardized tests get students stressed and cause anxiety. But does this score fairly and accurately judge a student and predict their success at college? Scores are often biased, and other components of a student's application can prove to be more valuable than an SAT score. Due to standardized tests being biased against many groups of students, scores undervaluing other components of the application, and scores not directly correlating with performance in college, standardized testing scores should not be essential to college …show more content…
Low-income students, unlike their more affluent peers, don't have the money to spend on expensive test-prep classes that teach tricks students can use to increase their scores” (Burd 6). The SAT and ACT contain many questions designed to trick students, and without expensive test prep, it is difficult to answer those questions correctly, which results in an unfairly low relative score for low-income students. Also, minorities may not be comfortable enough with the English language. When a Mexican student named Marilyn took a multiple-choice practice test, her score was much less than what her teacher had come to expect from her based on her overall grade. “Even though Marilyn has been in the county for five years and can no longer take a modified test for English learners, words like ‘escalate’ or ‘initiate’ on the standardized tests make her nervous…in other respects, she does really well…her critical thinking and problem-solving skills are very strong” (Rizga 13). Although she is a proficient student, her standardized test scores are comparatively low, since she is not a native English speaker. Standardized testing scores also do not reflect the full capabilities of students who get stressed during tests of importance. “‘I cannot tell you how many I have worked with who are amazing in their classes but freeze when it …show more content…
Also, the score is easy to use to compare students across the United States applying for the same colleges. But that does not mean they are accurate and reliable. “Here is Gerald Bracey’s list of some of the biggies that we generally don’t even try to use standardized tests to measure: creativity, critical-thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence [and more]” (Strauss 12). Standardized tests may remove personal bias from teachers. However, they do not show other factors in deciding useful for deciding admission as much as other elements of the application. Standardized tests may be effective for comparison between students, by being widely used, but GPA shows more because of the rigor of the courses, as well as extracurriculars (Lash 3). Essays, GPA, and course rigor all show multiple facets of a student's character, while a test score simply
Every year, millions of students across the United States take the SAT or ACT. These tests determine where a student is admitted to for college, so it is no coincidence standardized tests get students stressed and cause anxiety. But does this score fairly and accurately judge a student and predict their success at college? Scores are often biased, and other components of a student's application can prove to be more valuable than an SAT score. Due to standardized tests being biased against many groups of students, scores undervaluing other components of the application, and scores not directly correlating with performance in college, standardized testing scores should not be essential to college …show more content…
Low-income students, unlike their more affluent peers, don't have the money to spend on expensive test-prep classes that teach tricks students can use to increase their scores” (Burd 6). The SAT and ACT contain many questions designed to trick students, and without expensive test prep, it is difficult to answer those questions correctly, which results in an unfairly low relative score for low-income students. Also, minorities may not be comfortable enough with the English language. When a Mexican student named Marilyn took a multiple-choice practice test, her score was much less than what her teacher had come to expect from her based on her overall grade. “Even though Marilyn has been in the county for five years and can no longer take a modified test for English learners, words like ‘escalate’ or ‘initiate’ on the standardized tests make her nervous…in other respects, she does really well…her critical thinking and problem-solving skills are very strong” (Rizga 13). Although she is a proficient student, her standardized test scores are comparatively low, since she is not a native English speaker. Standardized testing scores also do not reflect the full capabilities of students who get stressed during tests of importance. “‘I cannot tell you how many I have worked with who are amazing in their classes but freeze when it …show more content…
Also, the score is easy to use to compare students across the United States applying for the same colleges. But that does not mean they are accurate and reliable. “Here is Gerald Bracey’s list of some of the biggies that we generally don’t even try to use standardized tests to measure: creativity, critical-thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence [and more]” (Strauss 12). Standardized tests may remove personal bias from teachers. However, they do not show other factors in deciding useful for deciding admission as much as other elements of the application. Standardized tests may be effective for comparison between students, by being widely used, but GPA shows more because of the rigor of the courses, as well as extracurriculars (Lash 3). Essays, GPA, and course rigor all show multiple facets of a student's character, while a test score simply