Where’s the merit in the SAT?

University Degree Education and Teaching

Christian S. Watkins

English T-122, Section 17

Jeff Chan

September 14, 2001

Eugine E. Garcia does a good job at discussing the sides to the major issue, which has plagued college admissions teams all across the United States in his article named Where’s the merit in the SAT? (491). He begins by pronouncing his accreditation by stating that he is on the University of California Regents task force that is to analyze the schools minority enrollment elidgebility. As a result of his studies, he submits to the Board of Regents that the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is the one major dynamic that is keeping the minority population below acceptable levels. According to The College Board, the main goal of the SAT is to asses the many applicants’ college readiness and to assist colleges in student placement. However, the elimination of the SAT, in the task forces opinion, will insure that all high-achieving students have a fair chance at the opportunity of a college education. Garcia has made it clear to us that he wants the student to have a greater range of colleges to choose from rather than be forced to attend a school because of bad test scores. Some regard the abolishment of the SAT as a good thing. That it will give more quality students with poor testing scores, and otherwise good educational qualities, the chance to enter into fine schools. On the other hand, opponents say that the test’s elimination would lead to lower academic standards for the college’s student applicants. Mr. Garcia drives the main point of the essay home when he brings up the point that most students, who do not do well on the SAT, meet and probably exceed the school’s admissions requirements. In addition, he states that those who do well probably have done so because of high priced test preparation that all students can not afford. Any measure of merit should include consideration of the circumstances (family problems, general schooling, extracurricular, etc.) in which the students go through in order to go to college. At best, the SAT is only about 25 percent accurate when determining the readiness of inbound college students, and therefore not an accurate measure for colleges to use when deciding admissions.

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In my opinion, this successful piece accurately illustrates the reasons why the SAT should be eliminated. There are many explanations that can be offered concerning the massive amounts of students that don’t make the qualifying grades in order to make it into high ranking schools. Not all students that successfully pass the SAT are familiar with the subject matter. Some schools neglect to focus on material that will prepare for college, however they do focus on standardized tests that will be beneficial the school or school district. Case in point, Dallas Public School District’s teachers are urged to use material that will guarantee its students passing the state’s standardized test rather than focusing on material that will aid the student in pursuing a college education. By not broadening the range of material that is covered throughout the school year, the students are at a disadvantage when it comes to entering college. It is apparent through reading the article that Garcia has experienced this second hand, through one of his students. Another explanation is that studies show a high percentage of the students that make good grades on the SAT have paid good money for test prep services. The majority of students, not only some groups of minorities, do not have the money to obtain that level of help. He makes good use of his personal experiences by integrating the factual evidence with the personal substance. By integrating the information that he obtained from the task force findings into the essay, Garcia makes the article more believable and persuasive. In addition to talking about the SAT’s faults and short comings, he renders a suggestion that could be implemented to possibly rectify the situation. Improvement of high school performance toward college preparedness should be a main objective. In going to high school, one expects to be given the necessary tools in order to pass on to the next level of higher learning. One does not anticipate being hindered educationally because of the school’s need for benefit. Colleges should also look at the resourcefulness of the student in overcoming the adversities presented to it. As mentioned earlier, some student’s can not afford to pay for tutoring and high priced educational assistance. Moreover, some average scoring students are more active in their communities than their high scoring counterparts. The massive amounts that could be dedicated to studying to make a perfect score on the SAT might be devoted to serving a senior-citizen home or some non-profit organization such as Habitat for Humanity.

All these issues and more should be used in the college admissions decision. Either they should outweigh, compliment, or replace the SAT, and “admissions” tests like it. I fully agree with Garcia’s point of questioning the merit of the SAT in regards to a student’s college aptitude.

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