TO TEST or NOT TO TEST

SAT- There has been much discussion regarding the bias of this college entrance exam which was originally created by a few eastern universities in the beginning the 1900’s to determine a student’s readiness for the rigor of college. In those early days, only 1 in 25 high school graduates attended college. Over the years the test has changed, the scoring has changed, and a large population of high school graduates have taken the SAT.

Strangely enough, the percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT before the Covid-19 pandemic was 67% and in 2021 those numbers dropped to 24%. This comes on top of many well-known and not-so-well-known colleges and universities having dropped the SAT requirement to be considered for college admission.

Interestingly, much of the motivation to drop the SAT requirement came from a growing number of educators who determined that the test was culturally biased and too many students struggle with test anxiety.

Many schools administer the SAT to students as early as the sixth grade, usually to determine which students should be placed in gifted or more advanced classes. The tests are also used as placement tools for middle school students.

ACT – This test was introduced in 1959 from a University of Iowa professor as a competitor to the SAT. Once again, it is up the college to require this exam. Interesting statistic is which students tend to take which exam. (On the map, ACT is most popular in the blue states.)

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Opinions and Analysis by: Illana Herzig Weintraub

Publisher: MathMedia Educational Software, Inc.

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