How Educated Are We - The Scholastic Assessment Test (sat)

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) was known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test prior to 1993. In 2001, more than 1.2 million students took the SAT. This was up from 1996 when nearly 1.1 million students sat for SAT.

The test consists of a verbal section and a mathematics section. Each section is scored on a scale from 200 to 800. Prior to 1995, the scores for the verbal and the math section were misaligned. A score of 420 on the verbal section, for example, would equal a score of 470 on the math section. In order to align the verbal and math scales, the SAT scale was "re-centered" in 1995 using the 1990 scores as a reference. This had the effect of establishing the average score near the center of the 200-800 scale. The chart above shows the average SAT verbal and math scores for 1967-2001 on the recentered scale. As the chart shows, in 1990, the recentered average verbal and math scores are nearly identical.

Overall, the scores have decreased since 1967. The verbal scores have decreased the most, 37 points, from a high of 543 in 1967 to 506 points in 2001. The mathematics scores decreased considerably in the 1970s and early 1980s, but they have recovered since then to nearly the level they were in 1967. Although both scores are lower than they were in 1967, the scores have been on the rise during the 1990s. Math scores have been on the rise since 1984.

But does the SAT do an adequate job of predicting future college performance? Some say no. The SAT is a reasoning test. It measures the verbal and mathematical problem-solving abilities of the student. A core knowledge base is needed to perform well, but the test is not meant to assess a student's knowledge in a range of subjects. However, the test has been (and continues to be) used by many colleges and universities admissions programs.

In 2001, at the American Council on Education's annual meeting, Richard C. Atkinson, president of the University of California system and former visiting scholar for ETS¹⁹, proposed eliminating the SAT scores as a requirement for admissions at his university. Before attending the annual meeting, he visited "an upscale private school where 12-year-olds were studying long lists of verbal analogies to prepare for the SAT" (Gehring). The emphasis on test-taking ability rather than reading and writing ability disturbed him and led to his announcement. Rather than eliminating standardized tests altogether, he proposed that the SAT II be used in college admissions. The SAT II is a series of one-hour tests that measure knowledge in a variety of subjects such as English, history, social studies, mathematics, science, and languages. Later that year, the faculty of the University of California proposed that applicants for admission take a three-hour achievement test in math, reading, and writing.

In reaction to this announcement, in 2002, the College Board proposed revamping the SAT to align it better with what is taught in high school classrooms. The test would dispense with vocabulary-based analogy questions; new Algebra II and trigonometry questions would be introduced. A writing section would also be included (taken from the SAT II writing test). Proponents in California say that a curriculum-based test would improveteaching in high-poverty schools. Also, they say, this type of test will narrow the performance gap between those who can afford expensive test-prep courses and those who can't. The true test-prep for the new tests will be daily class attendance and participation. Opponents say that the racial gaps will persist with this type of test and the writing sample will test skills that are the most difficult to learn.²⁰ They say that doing well in high school should have more weight in the admissions process than test scores.

We take a look at the ACT exam next. ACT stands for American College Testing Program.

Source: Chart data: Gams, Janice et. al. " 2001 College Bound Seniors Are The Largest, Most Diverse Group in History ." The College Board. Online. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/cbsenior/yr2001/pdf/CompleteCBSReport.pdf. April 11, 2002. "Recentering." and "Taking the SAT II Subject Tests 2002." Online. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com. April 4, 2002. "Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)." Online. Available: http://www.csuchico.edu/test/sat.html. April 4, 2002. Gehring, John.. "UC President Pitches Plan to End Use of SAT in Admissions." Education Week, 28 February 2001. 2001 College-Bound Seniors: A Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Online. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com. April 29, 2002. "SAT Program Information - 1996 Profile of College-Bound Seniors." Online. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/cbsenior/yr1996/nat/cbtgen96.html. April 29, 2002. Kronholz, June. "Math, Verbal - and Writing." Wall Street Journal, 5 June 2002.