(Replying to PARENT post)

Make the SAT so difficult that on average 1 person gets a perfect score each year. Then do not allow any other criteria for admission.

To prevent bribery randomly sample 1% for a retest under much stricter security.

If you must, lower standards for protected classes to even out demographics.

Rich people can afford to burn their children’s childhood on the enrichment activities and “volunteer” work Harvard requires.

Standardized testing is by far the most fair way to do this. SAT prep is not that effective and besides SAT prep is now available online for free.

👤wycs🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

Half of the bribery scandal was cheating on SATs, so the more you emphasize test scores the more you elicit that kind of behavior.

The College Board and its executives make millions selling test prep materials and running a monopoly over US higher education. There's a good chance we're only beginning to discover the inherent corruption here.

👤sgustard🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

The SAT/ACT is no longer standardized testing. All the determined parents abuse this. They find a sympathetic doctor to diagnose their kid with a nonsense learning disability, then that gets them double the time for the test or more. The test vendor isn't even allowed to disclose this inequality to the colleges; there was a lawsuit over that.

So you may play by the rules, but other students are getting twice the time to complete the test. Some students are more equal than other students.

This pretty much invalidates the whole concept of the test. Unless sanity prevails, the only way for test vendors to fix the problem would be to give an absurd amount of time to everybody.

👤burfog🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

> If you must, lower standards for protected classes to even out demographics.

As a member of a "protected class" that is able to get very high SAT scores, I would be extremely pissed if that criterion was applied.

👤enriquto🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

In Australia the final year 12 exams, which are used as University entrance ranks are standardized. It works exceptionally well.

https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/atar

👤grecy🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

What a terrible idea. Ignoring the fact that not everyone can take the test for economic or mental health reasons, and the fact that being able to prep for this test effectively skews in favor of wealthier folks, there are so many experiences that shape us. How does learning to overcome adversity because you had to survive homelessness show up in the SAT? How does being raised in a multicultural background? How does music? The arts? Your ability to engage people around you and spark imaginations? Or your inventiveness or compassion?

There are so many types of people I would want to be around in college who might not do great in a standardized test. I'd rather have a rich set of people around with different ideas and experiences than filter down to a single test result.

👤Pfhreak🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

Here’s a solution. Make college free for all. Anyone with a HS diploma can get in. But, you MUST attend the classes and do the work or you’re kicked out end of semester.

Totally based on merit. No biases on income or anything else.

👤dpweb🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

I selfishly love standardized testing because I have mostly done well on it. but SAT prep is ABSOLUTELY effective. I have my own personal anecdotal experience as well of that of my peers, but there are countless prep courses that boast impressive scores (unless they are lying through false advertising, but I believe it). The price of private tutoring and multiple rounds of simulated live exams is prohibitive and an absolute difference maker.
👤wpasc🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

That biases admissions for people who can afford extra tutoring and preparation for the test.
👤apengwin🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

Which would be fine IF the SAT were a useful predictor of future academic or life success.

Since it's not, we could either 1) pick something that is a better predictor, or 2) give up and use a lottery.

👤mLuby🕑6y🔼0🗨️0

(Replying to PARENT post)

> Allow people to challenge students on their score forcing them to retake the test, or randomly sample 1% for a retest.

You want to implement a challenge round for the SAT? Over 2 million kids took the SAT last year[1], many of them for the second or third time. Your proposal forces a kid to be required to retest if they're arbitrarily challenged by someone else. Or it uses a lottery to select tributes who will have to retake the exam again.

The SAT is an incredibly stressful part of an incredible stressful stage of life. Kids already take it several times to improve their scores. Your proposal adds even more elements which are out of parents' and kids' control that can potentially wreak havoc on their time and mental health. It's basically the nuclear option of attempts to improve the SAT.

____________________

1. https://reports.collegeboard.org/sat-suite-program-results/c...

👤throwawaymath🕑6y🔼0🗨️0