The world of higher education, since its beginning, has become progressively more complex and convoluted. Structures and systems have adapted and transformed, partially in response to an increasingly fast-paced society, and partially as a result of increased emphasis on various subjects and disciplines. Of particular interest to this author is the prestige of a college or university, with specific regards to standardized testing as a measure. In other words: Are standardized test scores of enrolled freshmen an accurate measure of the prestige of a college or university? In this paper, I will review the history and development of standardized tests, explore existing measures of prestige in relation to standardized tests, offer a framework through
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Erik Jacobson (2014), a tutor in the state of New Jersey, constructed a brief timeline of standardized testing which will be summarized in the following section. The timeline goes back to the beginning in the late 1800s, and follows all the way up to 2014. Jacobson (2014) begins with the creation of the first ever College Entrance Examination Board in 1899. The purpose of the board was to administer annual exams in subjects the board determined to be important for collegiate level work, and the first college boards were administered then in 1901. These tests were strictly essays that were completed over the course of five days, and strove to measure the mastery of a given subject. Over the course of the next twenty-five years, the college boards would be administered to 20,000 some prospective students. This number however, was only representative of ten percent of students entering college; most colleges continued to administer their own entrance exams. In April of 1925, the College Board appointed a commission to develop a new test to measure general intelligence. The commission was headed by Carl Brigham, who was an instrumental player in the designing of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or as we now know it, the …show more content…
Lindquist and McCarrel recognized that the Scholastic Aptitude Test was used primarily by selective colleges in the northeastern United States, and suggested a new test should be created not only for admissions, but additionally for placement. They believed the test ought to indicate academic preparation, therein making it an achievement test, as opposed to the existing aptitude test. In November of that same year, the American College Testing Assessment was administered for the first time to approximately 75,000 students. Later on, in 1989, the American College Testing Assessment underwent a number of revisions, replacing the previous version of the test; at this point in time, roughly 1 million students take this test each year, in comparison to the 1.2 million students taking the Scholastic Aptitude
Erik Jacobson (2014), a tutor in the state of New Jersey, constructed a brief timeline of standardized testing which will be summarized in the following section. The timeline goes back to the beginning in the late 1800s, and follows all the way up to 2014. Jacobson (2014) begins with the creation of the first ever College Entrance Examination Board in 1899. The purpose of the board was to administer annual exams in subjects the board determined to be important for collegiate level work, and the first college boards were administered then in 1901. These tests were strictly essays that were completed over the course of five days, and strove to measure the mastery of a given subject. Over the course of the next twenty-five years, the college boards would be administered to 20,000 some prospective students. This number however, was only representative of ten percent of students entering college; most colleges continued to administer their own entrance exams. In April of 1925, the College Board appointed a commission to develop a new test to measure general intelligence. The commission was headed by Carl Brigham, who was an instrumental player in the designing of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or as we now know it, the …show more content…
Lindquist and McCarrel recognized that the Scholastic Aptitude Test was used primarily by selective colleges in the northeastern United States, and suggested a new test should be created not only for admissions, but additionally for placement. They believed the test ought to indicate academic preparation, therein making it an achievement test, as opposed to the existing aptitude test. In November of that same year, the American College Testing Assessment was administered for the first time to approximately 75,000 students. Later on, in 1989, the American College Testing Assessment underwent a number of revisions, replacing the previous version of the test; at this point in time, roughly 1 million students take this test each year, in comparison to the 1.2 million students taking the Scholastic Aptitude