Assessment of our students’ academic progress is essential, but the mindset that high SAT or ACT scores will be a student’s only ticket into college is one that places unnecessary and unwanted stress on the average high school student. Colleges have relied on standardized test scores as a means of determining how college ready a student is and what opportunities and scholarships are available for them. While the SAT and ACT tests are intended to provide a fair assessment for students across the nation, they are simply not an accurate representation of a student’s potential because of the different circumstances which surround a student.
Many colleges have realized that standardized test scores do not equate to the success of a student and …show more content…
The president of the College Board, David Coleman, has redesigned the SAT test for the 2016 school year in order to more accurately reflect the Common Core which represents the academic standards of the nation. The new SAT aims to provide more real world examples in its implementation versus the impractical content on it now. Even though some measures have been taken to try and alleviate the flaws of the SAT, it is still a concern because the critical math, reading, and writing skills tested on the current SAT do not reflect what has been taught in America’s classrooms; rather, a specific set of skills only necessary for the test itself. Les Perelman, a former director of writing at M.I.T., probes the legitimacy of the SAT by asking, “When is there a situation in either college or life where you’re asked to write on demand about something you’ve never once thought about?” It is obvious that even reliable officials like Perelman recognize the futilities of standardized testing. In order to succeed in college, educators and admissions officers agree that one must have a studious work ethic, effective time management skills, and diligence. Standardized testing is problematic to our nation because we must teach students how to apply knowledge and skills, not how to train for a
Many colleges have realized that standardized test scores do not equate to the success of a student and …show more content…
The president of the College Board, David Coleman, has redesigned the SAT test for the 2016 school year in order to more accurately reflect the Common Core which represents the academic standards of the nation. The new SAT aims to provide more real world examples in its implementation versus the impractical content on it now. Even though some measures have been taken to try and alleviate the flaws of the SAT, it is still a concern because the critical math, reading, and writing skills tested on the current SAT do not reflect what has been taught in America’s classrooms; rather, a specific set of skills only necessary for the test itself. Les Perelman, a former director of writing at M.I.T., probes the legitimacy of the SAT by asking, “When is there a situation in either college or life where you’re asked to write on demand about something you’ve never once thought about?” It is obvious that even reliable officials like Perelman recognize the futilities of standardized testing. In order to succeed in college, educators and admissions officers agree that one must have a studious work ethic, effective time management skills, and diligence. Standardized testing is problematic to our nation because we must teach students how to apply knowledge and skills, not how to train for a