Standardized testing is the backbone of entrances to college, which makes the controversy between the ACT and the SAT all the more important. The state has just voted to change the required test from the ACT to the SAT for funding purposes, but many still do not agree. I am one of those people. I believe that the ACT is a better test and it should be the mandatory test for Illinois, despite the cost.
The SAT costs less than the ACT, but that does not prove that it is better quality or prepares the students better for what is to come. Having a more straightforward test like the
ACT, which is more focused on critical thinking, is more beneficial than the SAT, which is bogged down with heavy focus on vocabulary. I am not implying that vocabulary
Anyone who has ever taken the ACT or the SAT knows how stressful and difficult the tests are. Students are forever judged because of the scores the receive by colleges and peers. The ACT/SAT are standardized tests that are meant to calculate what students have learned in previous years of high school. Colleges then use this score to determine whether a student will succeed in college. Specific problems with this process include the fact that high schoolers are extremely busy and may have other things on their minds, the tests require brutal test prep, the test can cause stress and anxiety, and the tests do not accurately gage a student’s college success. For these main reasons, students should not be required to take the ACT/SAT to get into college.
Standardized testing does not occur at the college level where someone might assume that it would be mandated. When someone is taking a test to enter a college, wouldn’t it be logical for a
A lot of colleges and Universities believe the score of a student’s SAT and ACT will help them make better
The ACT is the only fair way to compare students from all across the country that come from different educational backgrounds. The ACT shows how you rank among other students, however, if you are a bad test taker, this will not be an accurate ranking. The ACT is the single most important thing that colleges look at before giving acceptance, but why is that, when studies have shown that GPA is a better indicator of how successful students can be in college?
In addition, the SAT and ACT can be considered inaccurate because they are often biased toward certain ethnicities, social classes and genders. Those in favor of these standardized test argue that they are an equal opportunity for all to demonstrate their knowledge and capability, however, this is not the case(“Do Standardized Test” par 10). The ACT is known for being biased toward certain groups of people. “According to ACT research, when all factors are equal, such as course work, grades and family income, Whites still outscore all other groups. If the ACT
Einstein once said, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Likewise, if a poor test-taker is judged by their SAT score, they could be forced to attend an inadequate institute of higher education. For decades, the SAT has been “the test” that makes or breaks a student's chances of getting into their top college. Generally, the privileged populace do well, but minorities and women do not come out as strong and are therefore limited to college choice. The SAT has proven to be an unsuitable, biased method for predicting success of students in college.
“The sale of a whole range of screening, intelligence, readiness, and other tests generates in excess of $100 million in revenues in the U.S. (Meaghan and Casas 44)”. Companies that administer these tests like the ACT are making hundreds of millions of dollars to make these tests. These are large corporations that are making money from distributing the test and then once again making more money from grading it. Governments look into ways to save money with education so why don’t they focus on abolishing standardized tests and just focus on a student’s grade point average. A student’s high school transcript gives a college enough information for them to make their selection, doing this may take them longer to choose their potential students. However, the students that they do administer would be better represented because they would have that student’s record of the past four years. Showing how they did in certain classes and even what they struggled in.
It has become a problem and schools should really consider taking it out of admissions. It has been proven that SAT/ACT scores don’t predict a student’s success, so why not remove it. A solution to this problem would be to rely on the student’s high school GPA and maybe two other factors to go along with the application. A high school GPA is made up within four years and it determines how well the student handled state tests and other educational obstacles. Institutes should consider this a problem and propose a solution because a four-hour test should not override a four-year grade, as stated
The ACT and SAT were created to accurately measure the knowledge of our children and make sure they are prepared for college, yet often times it seems to have the opposite effect. Due to the tests, some students are deciding not to go to college just to avoid paying so much money when they do not think they can do well in college courses. Even if students do decide to go to college, they may avoid taking classes with large tests due to test phobia developed from the ACT or SAT (Paul 42). Seeing such low scores in certain subjects can lower a student’s confidence and willingness to take those classes in college. By not taking certain classes, a student is limiting what major they can complete which will lowering their career options (Paul 42). We can’t let this happen to our students! We can’t let one stupid test destroy the careers and futures of hundreds of teenagers. The long term effects of the trauma created by the ACT and SAT are detrimental to today’s students.
This helped students who narrowly failed the exam moved on to 4th grade with their class and prevented them from being held back. This also freed up time teachers spent remediating students who were retained due to not passing the exam.
ACT vs SAT. Many Illinois high schools have decided to continue with the ACT for this year,
It all started back in 1926 when the first SAT was administered to high school students. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a test dreaded by high school students, given to them spring of junior year. It’s goal is to academically test students to see if they would be a good fit in that certain college and play a role in admissions. “More and more schools have been finding that the SAT provides neither an accurate nor helpful view of its applicants (Flore) .” Over time it's becoming more accepted that the SAT doesn’t show the students ability. In the U.S. there are already 850 colleges that are SAT optional, meaning that they don't require test scores in admissions. Grade point average and AP tests showcase the students academic skill more. Colleges should get rid of the reliance on SAT scores in admissions.
Supporters of the test may state it is a good base or “key” to use and gage a student when looking to gauge their academic skill level. Swing to the other side and it’s unsurprisingly easy to find the reasons to oppose the test. Reasons include that the test prevents some students from unlocking their full academic potential due to their lack of easily available resources. Lack of these resources could be due to financial situations or a person’s ethnic background. Studies show the SAT cannot predict a student’s performance in secondary school. These studies examine and exhibit to us (the viewer) that the SAT lacks in showing a student’s true qualities and work ethic. Segregating students based on a test prevents a student from possibly unlocking their full potential. Students judged by their SAT are not the only ones missing out on potential academic success, the future of America loses the chance to further educate the next generation of potential
A big reason I think the ACT should not be changed to the SAT is because of how
The SAT and ACT do not measure “real world” skills, such as those of critical and creative thinking, and problem solving. The College Board, the company in charge of the SAT, describes its claims to “assess your academic readiness for college” on its website (“About the Tests”). This