Standardized Testing In Outliers
In a country that promotes the ideas of grit, innovation, resourcefulness, and growth, I find it curious that American universities are still using standardized tests as an indicator of future success in college. Although standardized tests are only one factor in admissions to many colleges, they should not be used at all because they do not accurately predict the success of students in higher educational environments. Instead of using the SAT and ACT, admissions officers should put more weight on written essays, cumulative high school grade point average, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation when deciding admissions. Although some may argue that the SAT and ACT offer a way of ranking students without factoring in grade point average, their ability to predict the future success of college students has not been demonstrated. In a research study done by …show more content…
In Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, Gladwell discusses how kids from poorer areas start out at the same levels of proficiency as kids from upper class families, but the wealthier kids generally do better than the poorer kids on standardized tests down the road. Gladwell comes to the conclusion that the gap in performance on standardized tests is generally determined by how kids spend their summers. He found that the the poorer kids are left to play with friends in the summer, while the upper class families hire tutors and take their kids to museums. After about ten summers of accumulating advantage, the wealthier kids are more prepared to do well on the infamous college entrance exams. While the wealthier kids have been groomed for these tests since the start of their school careers, the kids from disadvantaged backgrounds are, once
Of A History Of The SAT In 4 Questions By Cory Turner And Westervelt
230 Words | 1 PagesIn “A History Of The SAT In 4 Questions”, Cory Turner and Eric Westervelt write about the SAT and how it is changing. The authors discuss the new version of the SAT and how the College Board is going to change things. The Board “hopes the redesign will provide a more accurate measure of a student’s college and career readiness.” (Turner and Westervelt, A History Of The SAT). For example, Cyndie Schmeiser, the chief of assessment of the College Board, says that the new test “will include vocabulary, but within a reading passage.
Critical Analysis Of A New Course By Christopher Lasch
1254 Words | 6 PagesHigher education is important to most people, but there are times where it does not take priority. One major issue talked about by Magdalena Kay in “A New Course” is that teachers are teaching to the state test, and not to teach students knowledge. There are two perspectives in this article: one is from Magdalena Kay, an associate professor of English at the University of Victoria, and the other is Christopher Lasch. Christopher Lasch is a historian and a social critic, who does not have an inside sight into the educational system. Lasch is only able to express the perspective of an outsider, unlike Kay who has an insight because she is in the educational system.
SAT And Act Needs To Be Changed
1688 Words | 7 PagesTed Tran Ms. Yelton English III DC 11 April 2023 The SAT and ACT needs to be changed The SAT and ACT have made a considerable impact on students nowadays in society through college admissions. Although there are benefits to the test such as scholarships and ranking, some students have struggles and unfairness through the test, especially with low-income or minority backgrounds. In addition, students also have had test anxiety while taking the SAT and ACT which discourages them from the test.
Argumentative Essay: Should The SAT Determine Your Future
483 Words | 2 PagesShould The SAT Determine Your Future Throughout the years there have been many questions regarding the reliability of the SAT. Should an aptitude test be such a large factor in college acceptance. I firmly believe The SAT should not be a factor in college admissions because it has proven to be biased , unreliable, and overall unjust. The Scholastic Aptitude test, or SAT is no stranger to high school students across America. The test is divided into two sections of math and verbal language skills, a total of 138 questions with a point scale ranging from 200-800.
Should American College Testing Be Abolished Dbq Essay
1014 Words | 5 PagesFor high schoolers across the country, the test administered by American College Testing (ACT) is intimidating. Compared to past standardized tests in elementary school, middle school, and even high school, the ACT holds major implications. The score students receive on their ACT heavily influences their acceptance to certain colleges and universities in the United States. The test is scored on a 1-36 scale, one being the lowest and thirty-six being the highest score a student can achieve. The importance placed on ACT scores has grown exponentially throughout the past decades, as college admissions are more competitive than ever.
Argumentative Essay On ACT And SAT Scores
729 Words | 3 PagesA students ACT and SAT score is just one portion of many college applications. Colleges and Universities look at GPA, an essay, and letter of recommendations to determine a student’s admission. Many people believe that the importance of the ACT or SAT score depends on the college and what other things the student has to offer (Drinkworth, 2015). The ACT and SAT tests can be an important factor in college admissions because they tests are on all subject areas, math, reading, writing, and science. Since each area is graded separately and the score is later averaged out it shows how the students does overall in the general
Pros Of Standardized Testing
1189 Words | 5 PagesThe silence in the room, with only the sound a pencil makes with the paper, produces the heart-thumping atmosphere standardized testing gives to students. Most students experience the overwhelming stress that is brought upon their academic life from SAT, ACT, or any standardized tests. They see them as one of the most important factors for college acceptance. The constant worry that sits on their shoulders will not disappear until testing is over, and there is nothing they can do about it until they hopefully get a letter from their dream college.
Standardized Testing Research Paper
895 Words | 4 PagesStandardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.
Optional Standardized Testing
1304 Words | 6 PagesAlthough the College Board believes the SAT is a good predictor of academic success, this method of testing should be optional for students, as high school GPAs are better reflections on a student’s work ethics and future success in
Arguments Against Standardized Testing Essay
1616 Words | 7 PagesThese assessments, which consider a wider range of skills and information than traditional standardized tests, can provide a more thorough understanding of a student's abilities. The administration of these assessments could cost more time and resources, and the scoring could be flawed or inaccurate. Although these problems may arise, it could be a better alternative than having to use standardized tests. Lastly, schools should revert to test-optional policies like they did in 2020. Caralee J. Adams, who wrote “College-Entrance Testing: ‘Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions’”, said that a new study found that there were "’no significant differences’ between the college grades and completion rates of students who submit ACT or SAT scores with their college applications and those who do not” (Adams pp.1).
Standardized Testing Bias
1523 Words | 7 PagesAnother thing that places students of color at a disadvantage in college admissions is the persisting cultural bias in high-stakes testing. “High-stakes” tests are those that are tied to major consequences, such as admission to college, or even high school graduation. Fair education reform advocates have long been citing an extensive record of standardized testing concerns, many of which relate to racial bias and discrimination. As researcher and author Harold Berlak explains in the journal Rethinking Education: Standardized testing perpetuates institutionalized racism and contributes to the achievement gap between whites and minorities. For instance, the deeply embedded stereotype that African Americans perform poorly on standardized tests
Arguments Against Standardized Testing
1341 Words | 6 PagesStandardized Tests: It’s Time for Them to Go After months of standardized prep work and sitting in silence, Julia was excited to see how she performed on the SATs. Even though she had tried her hardest, she read “below the benchmark” for her age group. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for school, she thought. Unfortunately, this situation is normal as standardized tests have been used for decades to assess student’s academic achievements.
Thesis Statement: The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing
1749 Words | 7 PagesIntroduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas
Persuasive Speech On Standardized Testing
1868 Words | 8 PagesO.O Speech Intro story Michal is a boy born in Florida who has some special needs. He was born with a brain stem, but not a whole brain. He loves to hear and listen to people talk to him, yet he is morosely incapable of sight, speech, or even understand basic information.
The Pros And Cons Of The SAT
1241 Words | 5 PagesSATS and ACTS have been used for numerous years as a way to gauge a student’s academic success while in college. Students have the choice which test they would prefer to take and most colleges do not prefer one test over the other. There are a few key differences between the SAT and ACT, which may make one test more suitable than the other for those taking the tests. Many studies have proven that the SAT and ACT are not the best judge of future success, and that colleges should focus their applications more on past grades and accomplishments to decide which students should be accepted to their university. SATs and ACTs are not an effective measure of college readiness and future academic success.
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