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Tired
of studying for the SAT? If you're a California
student, your days of preparing might be numbered.
The University of California Wants to Kick the
SAT to the Curb
Dawn Kessler
April 2001
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Put
down those flashcards... Log off from Princeton
Review.com... Tell your tutor to take a hike.
What do these actions have in common?
You've been fantasizing about doing any one of
them since you realized you'd need a superior
SAT score to get into the school of your dreams.
Well, high schoolers: Richard Atkinson may be
your new best friend. That's because he's actively
working to rid the University of California system
of the dreaded standardized test! If that happens,
don't be surprised if other major colleges and
universities follow suit.
Atkinson, the president of the largest public
university system in the world, recently dropped
a bombshell on the academic world by proposing
that UCal no longer use the SAT in its admissions
decisions.
"America's overemphasis on the SAT is compromising
our educational system," he said. Do you think
he's right? Have you found yourself more preoccupied
with analogies and word lists than world history
and biology? Do your after-school activities consist
more of online test prep than analyzing great
works of literature? Are you worried that a mediocre
1100 score will wipe out your brilliant 97 GPA?
Maybe so, but there's more to the story.
"[The SAT] not only incorporates the highest
standards of what is required for success in our
nation's most demanding colleges, but it is the
only common yardstick in an era of grade inflation,
and where students complete different courses
with different teachers who use different grading
standards," says Gaston Caperton, College Board
prez'.
In other words, the test helps admissions officers
compare three A+ students who happen to be from
different states, backgrounds, and school systems,
and it should never be the only factor in admitting
or rejecting a student.
But that's the problem, isn't it? From the time
you were in grade school, you've known the real
truth -- that the higher the score requirement,
the more prestigious the college. And, the SAT
prep business is worth billions of dollars and
grows more and more each year. Essentially, argues
The College Board, colleges and universities that
overemphasize test scores are at fault, not
the test itself.
So what does all the SAT controversy mean for
you? Well, maybe nothing... if the policy goes
into effect, it won't be until 2003. However,
as the debate continues (and it will), there's
a good chance that it will affect how your choice
school evaluates you, come your turn at the admissions
process.
Whether or not University of California abolishes
SAT scores remains to be seen. We do know, however,
that if the great SAT debate continues, college
admissions may never be the same. In the meantime,
keep at those word lists... just in case.
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