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Matt Ohrenich
Mrs. Kirk
11(1) Composition
June 6, 2012
SAT or S(trenuous) “A(cceptance)” T(est)
A question very few adults are asked, but a response many would be intrigued to hear. “If
you had to take one of the standardized college acceptance tests today, how do you think you’d
fare?”
There are many [dreadful] things about being a grownup. You have to make
money. You have to [pay] taxes. You have to show up for your bail hearings. It's
all really annoying. But one of the few upsides of being an adult is that you
NEVER have to take the SAT again. In fact, I would recommend that no one take
the SAT ever. It's a sternly worded dinosaur of a test, graded in an arbitrary
manner with outdated equipment, and it [sucks]. The only reason people take it is
because they have to. It exists only so that preppy [idiots] can brag about their
scores well into adulthood if they did well. I hate it. (Magary)
In case you were ever wondering what a thirty-five year old man has to say after retaking
the SAT, now you know. However, it’s not just the act of taking the test that makes people so
angry; it’s the unjustifiable weight the SAT physically and metaphorically carries that has so
many people up in arms. A ten section, two-hundred-forty minute nightmare plagued with
unfairness, stress, unnecessary weight, and no direct tie to success. Millions of students every
year are cheated out of a better future thanks to that dreaded four hour test, mainly because it has
more weight in college admission than four years of hard work in high school. The SAT or
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(Scholastic Aptitude Test) has been unfairly helping students gain acceptance to college for
years, and should no longer be a mandatory part of any college admission process.
Taken by more than two million students every year, the SAT is the first step toward
higher education for students of all backgrounds according to College Board’s article “Why Take
the SAT”. After rereading that statement multiple times, the one word that really stands out to
me is the word “all”, ALL students from ALL backgrounds. I can’t emphasize that enough; the
only problem is College Board believes “it’s fair to everyone,” but sadly the actual SAT does not
reflect that fairness. If the test was really as straightforward and fair as they say, then no one
would be able to get a legal unfair advantage. Likewise that isn’t the case. Being a junior myself,
I know what it’s like to be in the midst of the SAT process and I know everyone is willing to do
whatever it takes to get a slight advantage. For many that slight advantage comes in the form of
SAT prep or test prep services. These services have been a huge help to me since the last time I
took the SAT, and I don’t know what I would do without them. With my success also brings me
sadness, because many inner-city or lower-income Americans can’t afford these services and are
left at a disadvantage. Therefore, by minimizing the use of SAT and ACT tests you “remove a
barrier of access to higher education for low-income and minority students. [In addition], schools
that have gone test optional find that it increases diversity of all sorts, in race, income, geography
and intellectual interest, without sacrificing academic quality” (qtd. in Stern). The point I’m
trying to make here is that “students should not have to feel at a disadvantage because they
cannot afford test prep services” (“Why Does the SAT”).
Not only is there an unfair financial gap problem involved with the SAT, but there is also
an educational one too. You see “you’ll do the best by taking [the most] challenging high school
courses and working hard in them” (“Why Take the SAT”). The only problem with that
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inference is that every high school offers different educational opportunities, and more times
than not those opportunities depend on the price of your school and where you live. My
experience at boarding school taught me money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you the
opportunity to thrive on the SAT. There is an entire class for juniors dedicated to SAT and ACT
prep, but very few schools are able to offer that opportunity to students at a reasonable price. Do
you find it “fair” that success on the SAT involves factors like family income and geographical
location? I know I sure don’t, and neither does David Hawkins the director of public policy and
research of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He believes that
standardized tests hold “value for some institutions, but they can’t be viewed with a one size-fitsall lens” (qtd. in Stern). Sadly, that’s exactly what’s happening here; college admission offices
are using the SAT as a shortcut to make the acceptance process easier on their part. Excuse me if
I’m wrong, but isn’t it part of a college admission officer’s job to make hard decisions, not to
find ways to make them easier? They’re making a decision that can change the course of
someone’s life and the SAT shouldn’t alter that as much as it does.
The unfairness doesn’t stop there; just think about the time frame schools have chosen to
require students to take the SAT. Junior year is the year dreaded by all high school students, yet
schools still believe it’s the best year to have students take the test. If you take the work and
difficulty of freshman and sophomore year and combine them together, it still won't equal that of
junior year. The combination of college planning, career research, résumé development and the
importance of grades are enough to stress a student out. Now imagine adding the SAT on top of
all that, talk about stress. Students don't need any added pressure during the most difficult year of
high school, but that's exactly what the SAT is doing. Not allowing it to go unnoticed, the
American Academy of Pediatrics is sounding the alarm in a new report. Adolescent-medicine
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specialist Kenneth Ginsburg, who authored the report, says “more and more teens are being
sidelined by anxiety and depression” thanks to factors like the SAT (qtd. in Trudeau). As a junior
myself, that doesn’t surprise me. There have been numerous nights where I’ve dreaded coming
home, not because of the countless hours of homework I had, but because I knew after I was
done that homework, I had to do SAT work. It’s too much, and the only reason I do it is because
I know the test can be the difference between whether or not I get into college. At the same time,
nights like those are mentally draining and “for some students, the focus and pressure placed on
them to perform is so great that they miss out on highlighting the other areas [schools] consider
that help build our campus communities and not just our profile” said Mr. Paynter, director of
admissions at Dickinson College (“Why Does the SAT”). This shows that students are so
worried about the SAT that they are forgetting about the other important aspects that colleges
consider like GPA, community service, extracurricular activities, and vocational experience. Can
you blame them though? Not only is there the added pressure students place on themselves to do
well, there is also the parental pressure too. Sometimes the parents want their sons or daughters
to succeed more than the kids do. Marilee Jones, dean of admissions at MIT, remembers telling
her daughter that “she has to [start] getting ready for high school,” now if she wants to get into
college. “She needs to develop activities, she needs to have interests, and she needs to develop
passions” (qtd. in Trudeau). Keep in mind the daughter was in 7th grade at the time and Ms.
Jones witnessed the repercussions first hands. Within a few months her daughter started having
stomach pain and when they went to the doctor, the doctor said stress might be the culprit.
“There was nothing wrong with her,” Jones said, “it was all coming from me” (qtd. in Trudeau).
Luckily my parents aren’t that bad, but during the beginning of the school year I couldn’t go
through a family dinner without hearing about the SAT’s. When do you want to start taking test
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prep classes? What date do you want to take the test? I knew they weren’t going to drop the
subject, so I eventually gave in and started prepping and set up my test date. The thing is students
already know the significance of the SAT which is why the constant reminders from parents and
teachers do more harm than good. Sadly, for some students the stress is too much and they
“choose not to apply to the colleges at the top of their list because of test scores alone. [Other]
students [decide] not to apply to college at all, which is truly heartbreaking” (“Why Does the
SAT”). It is heartbreaking, because the SAT is having such a negative impact on so many
students’ lives when in reality it should just be optional.
The one thing the SAT can teach you is that four years is not equal to four hours and
that’s why I’m confused. Can someone please explain to me how four whole years of hard work
in high school ends up weighing less on a college application compared to four measly hours of
SAT testing? It just doesn’t add up. The SAT is too heavily weighted in the college admission
process and it needs to change. “The tests shouldn’t be used as the sole criterion for admission,
financial aid or scholarship decisions,” said Randall Dieke, vice president for enrollment at Case
Western Reserve University (qtd. in Stern). Instead, Dieke believes using the GPA and the test
scores collaboratively will yield a better predictor of college performance. This shows even the
big guns in the enrollment process understand the unfair weight given to the test. Teachers and
administrators have been stressing to students for years that good study habits now prepare you
for college later, but now those very study habits preparing us for college can’t even get us into
college. By allowing students to take SAT prep and get higher SAT scores colleges and
universities alike “may be helping students who weren’t paying attention in school” gain
acceptance even though “those students shouldn’t be going to college at all” (Stern). Mr. Stern is
one hundred percent correct, because the students with higher SAT scores are showing what kind
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of test taker they are instead of the student they need to be (“Why Does the SAT”). Unlike GPA,
the SAT can’t show schools the dedication and study habits students possess. Colleges need to
think, would they rather have a student who is lazy with high SAT scores or a dedicated and
hardworking student with average SAT scores. The answer is quite simple to me: the student
who is dedicated because being naturally smart only takes you so far.
More recently schools have began to take notice of the unfair weight the test carries and
now “there are over 800 colleges that don’t even require you to provide your score in your
application and this number is growing each year” (“SAT Scores Weight”). Along with these
colleges the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) recently issued a
report in the fall of 2008 questioning whether colleges should use the SAT scores as a major
criterion for college admission” (Stern). Take a second and look back at that for moment; even
the NACAC doubts the use of the SAT during the college application process, and if that doesn’t
raise a huge red flag in your head than nothing will. The way Mr. Hawkins, director of public
policy and research at the University of Texas, and myself look at it is ‘if you demonstrate high
performance in [the] classroom, test scores have no meaning” (qtd. in Stern). Students work their
entire lives to build a resume that will impress the schools they apply to and a bad SAT score
shouldn’t change that.
With the massive amount of weight the SAT carries you would think high test scores
would be synonymous with success in college and life after school, but that simply is not the
case. According to Jane Shaw, president of the John W. Pope center for Higher Education
Policy, “if [students] have the score College Board considers college ready (between 1550-2400)
many good schools are open to you” (“Why Does the SAT”). College ready, that’s a very
opinionated term. To me it could mean one thing and to you it could mean something else. So
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how is College Board supposed to tell us that a certain score on the SAT will show potential
schools we as students are college ready. That’s why the Posse Program is so great. “The Posse
Program reveals the poverty of the conventional wisdom governing academic success. Our rules
for college admission and ideas about college achievement are complex. The factors are much
more diverse than an educational system is built to accommodate and so are the people who
succeed” (Rosenberg). What the Posse Program is able to show us is that success can’t be
measured by high test scores, because success depends on many different aspects. For most
students a combination of personality, motivation and self-discipline contribute to success in
college and for some reason when I flip through my 1,000 page SAT practice book I can’t seem
to find any sections that measure those characteristics. Programs like Posse and others give
students with below average SAT scores a chance to excel and colleges find that they do with
flying colors. “Posse Scholars’ combined median reading and math SAT score is only 1,050
(below College Board’s college ready numbers), nevertheless they succeed. Ninety percent of
[them] graduate – half of them on the Dean’s List and a quarter with academic honors”
(Rosenberg). Ninety percent of non college ready students graduate, ninety percent! All they
needed was a chance and that’s what the Posse Program offered them. Some may be thinking
sure, those students succeeded, but the majority of students with scores like that wouldn’t. At one
point I thought that was true too, that was until I heard the results of DePauw University’s study.
Being a Posse Partner school, DePauw’s institutional research department did a study of past
students to see which factors correlated with academic success. The one thing that made no
difference whatsoever were standardized test scores said Cindy Babington, Vice President of
Student Services at DePauw. Now imagine a life where the SAT’s are optional. Students that
deserve a higher education get one while the lazy ones who mooch off the SAT’s do not.
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Should the SAT be optional simply because of the unnecessary weight it carries in the
application process, probably not. It’s the combination of student to student unfairness, stress,
that unnecessary weight, and the fact that the test has no direct tie to success in school and in life
that gives it enough reason to be optional at every college or university. The Posse Program has
shown that success can’t be measured by what College Board considers college ready, and that
the result of a 35 year old man retaking the SAT is not pretty. Those are just a few examples of
programs and people who’ve opened our eyes to the problems with the SAT, ironically enough
though nothing portrays those problems more than the SAT itself. The Scholastic APTITUDE
Test is supposed to be the assessment of a student’s NATURAL academic ability, but at the
same time teens everywhere are utilizing test prep services (those who can afford it that is) to
gain an unfair advantage that College Board believes does not exist. Sadly, over the years
College Board and schools everywhere have done very little about this nightmare of a test, and if
nothing changes who knows, maybe the only requirement for college acceptance will be a
student’s SAT score. That sternly worded dinosaur of a test that Mr. Magary talks about is
outdated just like dinosaurs themselves, and to avoid extinction the SAT needs to evolve so that
every student has a fair chance at being accepted to college.
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Annotated Bibliography
Asch, Chris Myers, and Jennifer Dounay Zinth. "Should Students Be Required to Take the SAT
or ACT, and Apply..." American Teacher. Mar/Apr 2012: 3. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Web. 15 May 2012.
In his American Teacher periodical (2012) “Should Students Be Required to Take the
SAT or Act,” Chris Myers Asch asserts that “requiring college exams and applications
for graduation is economically irresponsible and educationally indefensible.” Mr. Asch
supports his assertion by citing facts about the expenses of administering tests, processing
applications and the added burden the tests impose on overworked school counselors and
college admission officers. The purpose behind Mr. Myers’ periodical was to show that
“such a requirement would tell us nothing about a school’s instructional quality or how
many of its graduates attend and complete college.” Meyers’ bewildered tone shows both
school counselors and college admission officers alike that he is still confused as to why
the SAT and ACT are still required for college acceptance. I too am bewildered at the
fact that in a world where everything is constantly changing, the SAT and ACT have not.
Everyone has great ideas about how to change and better the college application process,
but no one is putting those ideas into action.
Magary, Drew. "What Happens When A 35-Year-Old Man Retakes The SAT?" Deadspin. 2012.
Web. 17 May 2012.
In his Dead Spin blog (2012) “What Happens When A 35-Year-Old Man Retakes the
SAT?” Drew Magary responds to the question “if you had to take one of the standardized
college acceptance tests today, how do you think you'd fare?” Mr. Magary response
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includes a comparison of how he did on the SAT as a seventeen year old and then how he
does most recently as a thirty-five-year-old. The purpose of his article was to highlight
the unrealistic nature of the “sternly worded dinosaur” or SAT as he's sees it now that
he's an adult in the real world. His stern tone reaches out to colleges everywhere to make
sure they know that for a test that is supposed to be main component of the college
application process, the SAT lacks real life scenarios. Mr. Magary does a great job of
getting his point across through the use of humor, while also being able to capture the
reader's attention with strong practical examples.
Miltich, Matthew. “Teaching and Learning Are Personal.” NEA Today, Vol. 20, March 2002, p.
7. Rpt. In “Standardized Testing and Assessment Do Not Improve Education.” Education
Opposing Viewpoints.Ed. Mary E. Williams. None. Farmington Hills, Mi: Bonnie
Szumski, 2005. 151-155. Print.
In his Education Opposing Viewpoints article (2002) “Standardized Testing and
Assessment Do Not Improve Education,” Matthew Miltich argues that “assessment and
standardized tests should not take priority in education.” Mr. Miltich supports his
argument by appealing to the readers’ emotions as he discusses that in years since the
death of his boy, he has been able to conclude that standard measurements of learning are
inadequate. Miltich’s purpose was to show that “no assessment program can take the
place of energized, passionate faculty who love their disciplines and their learners and
learning itself.” His concerning tone intended to touch the hearts of school administrators
and teachers everywhere in an effort to bring an end to the assessment movement in
education. This shows me that it’s not just students that think standardized testing is
flawed, it’s teachers too.
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Rosenberg, Tina. “Fixes; More than SAT Scores.” The New York Times. 19 Feb. 2012: n. pag.
Web.
In her New York Times periodical (2012) “Fixes; More than SAT Scores,” Tina
Rosenberg implies that “the factors (for college achievement) are much more diverse than
our educational system is built to accommodate and so are the people who succeed.” Ms.
Rosenberg supports her implication by citing facts and statistics that ninety percent of
Posse Scholars (students with a combined median reading and math SAT score of only
1,050) graduate. Of the ninety percent, half of them graduate on the dean’s list and a
quarter with academic honors. Her purpose is to reveal that “our rules for college
admission, and ideas about college achievement, are linear, but in reality, college
achievement is [too] complex,” for the SAT to measure accurately. Rosenberg’s scornful
yet analytical tone shows admission departments nationwide that collegiate success
depends on more than the SAT can measure. Personally I can concur with Ms.
Rosenberg’s point because my neighbor is really smart and had high SAT scores, but
failed out of college after the first semester due to his poor work ethic.
"SAT Scores Weight in College Acceptance." Course Notes. GlamFamily, 2010. Web. 16 May
2012.
On this website post (2010) “SAT scores weight in College Acceptance,” the writer
suggests that “the SAT gives colleges a concrete number to compare prospective students
by.” This writer supports his suggestion by citing the fact that the difference between an
average school and an elite school like Harvard or Yale is their average SAT score. The
purpose is to show that SAT scores are perhaps given more weight in admissions than
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standardized test scores would be in a perfect world, but it’s the only way for colleges to
fairly assess applicants. The writer’s understanding tone shows stressed college-bound
students that there may be a little too much weight put on SAT or ACT scores, but there’s
nothing admission offices can do about it. As I think about it more and more however, it
makes me wonder whether we can’t think of a better way to assess college applicants or
whether we don’t want to.
Stern, Gary M. "Placing Less Weight on Test Scores May Level the Playing Field..." Hispanic
Outlook Vol. 19, No. 15. 04 May 2009: 26-27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 15 May
2012.
In his Hispanic Outlook periodical (2009) “Placing Less Weight on Test Scores May
Level the Playing Field,” Gary M. Stern suggests “that the SAT is not always a true
predictor of a student’s performance in college.” Mr. Stern supports his suggestion by
providing expert testimony from Bob Schaeffer (public education director of the National
Center for Fair and Open Testing) who is quoted as saying “more schools should reevaluate the use of test scores, and if they’re not helpful in the admission process, they
should drop their SAT and ACT test requirements.” Stern’s purpose was to question
“whether colleges should use the SAT and ACT scores as a major criterion for college
admissions or start reducing its impact on higher education acceptance.” His illuminating
tone shows that his intended audience was college counselors and admission officers who
rely on SAT or ACT scores to decide whether or not students should be accepted into
their college or university. This periodical was really enjoyable to read because it allowed
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me to see that I wasn’t the only one who thought that SAT/ACT doesn’t correlate to
success in college as much as the general public believes.
Trudeau, Michelle. "School, Study, SATs: No Wonder Teens Are Stressed." NPR. NPR, 2006.
Web. 23 May 2012.
In her NPR article (2006) "School, Study, SATs: No Wonder Teens Are Stressed"
Michelle Trudeau argues that many students are overworked, overscheduled, overstressed
and it’s taking a toll on their mental health and development. Ms. Trudeau supports her
argument by providing expert testimony from Kenneth Ginsburg, adolescent-medicine
specialist, who states that “more and more teens are being sidelined by anxiety and
depression” thanks to factors like the SAT. Her purpose is to expose the unnecessary
amount of pressure society and parents put on their teens to perform on standardized tests
like the SAT. Ms. Trudeau’s alarming tone is aimed to grab the attention of parents and
colleges everywhere to warn them of the serious dangers the college process has to offer.
“Why Does the SAT Endure?” Room For Debate. The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2011. Web. 7
May 2012.
In their New York Times blogs (2011) “Why Does the SAT Endure?” Jane S. Shaw and
Alan T. Paynter debate whether or not the “SAT’s are Valid.” The two question the
validity of the SAT by appealing to readers emotion when the say “show us the person
you are, and will be, not just the test taker you were, and don’t need to be.” Mr. Paynter
and Ms. Shaw’s purpose is to question the fairness of the SAT for all students regardless
of whether or not they can afford test prep. These writers’ captivating tone attempts to
open the eyes of college’s and supporters of the SAT everywhere to the reality of the
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flawed test. Being a student who has already taken the SAT and was not happy with his
score, I don’t know what I would do without test prep. Sure, it’s not fun but it does help
and without it I don’t think I’d be able to improve as much as I have. With my success
also comes sadness for those who can’t afford test prep whose dreams are being
shattered.
“Why Take the SAT.” SAT. Collegeboard, 2012. Web. 9 May 2012.
On this website post (2012)”Why Take the SAT,” the creators of collegeboard.com assert
that “the SAT is the first step toward higher education for students of all backgrounds.”
College Board supports this assertion by giving examples of how the SAT can benefit
you: it tests what you already know, it’s fair to everyone, it’s more than just a test, and it
helps you select the right fit for college. The creators’ purpose was to educate students
embarking on the college application journey that “the SAT provides a trusted, nationally
recognized indicator of your academic readiness for college.” College Board’s
informative tone show college bound students everywhere that the “SAT is a bridge
between the hard work you’ve already done and the college that is best fit for [your]
future.” Now being a college bound student myself I can see where College Board is
coming from, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with them. I do agree that the
SAT is a good indicator of your academic readiness for college, but I believe a good
percentage of collegiate success depends on factors that the SAT doesn’t cover.
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Afterward
After filling in that final bubble on my green and white biology final, I officially finished
my sophomore year. I couldn’t be happier; summer was upon us and I thought I had nothing to
worry about. Boy, was I mistaken. Every time I told people I was going to be a junior the first
thing out of their mouths was, “Are you ready for the SAT’s?” Am I ready for the SAT’s? I
didn’t even start my junior year and you’re already asking me that? My stress-free summer was
short-lived because in the back of my mind I was constantly thinking about what junior year and
the SAT’s had in store for me. Walking back through the doors of Penncrest High School, after
what seemed like the shortest summer of my life, it didn’t surprise me that the first thing I heard
was, “Yea, I scheduled my SAT’s for next month.” Next month? I was having trouble handling
the work load junior year was already dishing out and the last thing I needed was any added
pressure. However, my parents thought otherwise. My lovely mother took the initiative to sign
me up for SAT prep classes and schedule my test. Before I knew it the SAT was upon me and I
didn’t like it one bit, but it did make me wonder whether the SAT’s should be as important as
they are.
I never really stopped to think why everyone made such a big deal about the test until I
sat through countless hours of SAT prep bored out of my mind. It’s no secret the SAT’s are a
huge part of the college application process, and the more I thought about it, the more I
wondered what about the test made them such a big deal. That’s when I began researching. As a
student I wanted to know whether or not the SAT is a fair measurement on which to base college
acceptance. After taking the SAT and reading that College Board believes the test is a trusted
indicator of a student’s academic readiness for college, I knew I had to take a stand. Even though
I felt very strongly about my topic I was a little worried that I wouldn’t find any concrete
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evidence to support my case. Initially I believed the only information I would find would be
angry teenagers blogging about the obvious reasons why they hate the SAT. Luckily for me, I
was able to find many respected people who shared my opinion that the SAT should no longer be
a mandatory part of any college admission process. However, what surprised me the most was
the fact that over 800 college and universities had already gone test optional in their admission
process. My idea had already been put into action, and I didn’t even know it.
As the research process continued I had no trouble finding why the SAT was unfair to
students and their futures, but I did have a little trouble thinking of four distinct topics to talk
about. I knew I could prove the majority of my case by arguing about student to student
unfairness, the unnecessary weight the SAT carries, and the fact there is no direct tie to high
scores and success in college, but I couldn’t think of that fourth argument. It was until the night
before the outline was due when I was all stressed out that it hit me: I could talk about the stress
that accompanies the SAT. That was my little speed bump in the road; nevertheless, I didn’t let it
stop me. The outline helped a lot more than I originally believed it would, and I’m thankful we
were required to do it. With all the hard work done and my argument proven, the only thing left
to do was to articulate my research into a persuasive paper. Now that that it’s done I can proudly
say that I am happy with the outcome. Being somewhat of a perfectionist I don’t normally say
that, but after all the hard work I’ve put into this paper how couldn’t I be? My topic and the
process has taught me a lot, and most importantly I can now confidently say I’m ready for any
research paper a teacher or professor is willing to throw at me. At first I thought the process was
too drawn out; however, looking back at it now I realize that each note card I wrote and each
bibliography I drafted was for a certain reason and without them I’d be lost. This month long
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journey has changed my views many topics, but the one view that remains the same is the fact
the SAT should no longer be mandatory in any college admission process.