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SAT, Classroom Grades And College Readiness: Reflections On 100 Years Of Testing
"It is well known by educational researchers
that high-school grades are the best indicator
of student readiness for college, and
standardized admissions tests are useful
primarily as a supplement to the high-school
record."
So why don't our corporate-politicos push for
this research-based evidence to be implemented?
Staff
Although more than three million high school
seniors take standardized college admissions
tests like the SAT, "it is well known by
educational researchers that high-school grades
are the best indicator of student readiness for
college, and standardized admissions tests are
useful primarily as a supplement to the high-
school record," according to Richard C.
Atkinson in a speech to be presented April 15,
2009 at the American Educational Research
Association’s 90th annual meeting in San Diego.
“We now have a much deeper appreciation of why
assessment of achievement and curriculum
mastery remains vital as a paradigm for
admissions testing. Curriculum-based
achievement tests are the fairest and most
effective assessments for college admissions
and have important incentive or “signaling “
effects for our K-12 schools as well: They help
reinforce a rigorous academic curriculum and
create better alignment of teaching, learning
and assessment all along the pathway from high
school to college,” according to Atkinson.
The College Board’s SAT admissions test sends a
confusing message to students, teachers, and
schools. It featured esoteric items, like
verbal analogies and quantitative comparisons,
rarely encountered in the classroom. Especially
troubling, the perception of the SAT as a test
of basic intellectual ability had an adverse
effect on many students from low-performing
schools, tending to diminish academic
aspiration and self-esteem. Low scores on the
SAT were too often interpreted as meaning that
a student lacked the ability to attend UC,
notwithstanding his or her record of
accomplishment in high school.
These concerns prompted Atkinson to propose in
2001 dropping the SAT in favor of curriculum-
based achievement tests in UC admissions. UC
accounts for a substantial share of the
national market for admissions tests, and the
College Board responded with a revised SAT in
2005. The “New SAT” (now also known as the
“SAT-R,” for “reasoning”) “is clearly an
improvement over the previous version of the
test. A writing exam has been incorporated into
the test, and verbal analogies have been
dropped. Instead of deconstructing esoteric
analogies, students must now perform a task
they will actually face in college -- writing
an essay under a deadline. The new mathematics
section is more demanding, but fairer; while
the old SAT featured item-types that were known
for their trickery but required only a basic
knowledge of algebra, the new math section is
more straightforward and covers some higher-
level math. “Reports from many sources indicate
that the changes have galvanized a renewed
focus on writing and math in the nation’s
schools,” said Atkinson.
Though an improvement over the old test, the
New SAT still remains at odds with educational
priorities along the pathway from high school
to college. The New SAT’s lack of alignment
with high-school curricula has become
especially conspicuous now that most states,
like California, have moved towards standards-
based assessments at the K-12 level.
Of all nationally administered tests used in
college admissions, the College Board’s subject
tests and AP exams are the best examples of
achievement tests currently available. The
College Board subject tests are offered in
about 20 subject areas and the AP exams in over
30. AP exam scores were second only to high-
school grades in predicting student performance
at UC.
In conclusion Atkinson says, “Without question,
the College Board SAT subject tests and AP
exams have the strongest curricular foundations
of any college-entrance tests now available,
and more colleges and universities should find
them attractive.”
Adapted from materials provided by University
of California - San Diego.
— staff
ScienceDaily
2009-04-15
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414102650.htm
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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