NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1005866
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 16
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-6239-6008-7
ISSN: ISSN-1535-0584
EISSN: N/A
The Rise and Demise of the SAT: The University of California Generates Change for College Admissions
Berger, Susan J.
American Educational History Journal, v39 n1 p165-180 2012
Over the past few months, news about the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) has made national headlines and not in a good way: "Large SAT Score Decline Shows Failure of No Child Left Behind and State High-Stakes Testing Strategy" (FairTest 2011); "Eshaghoff, Emory University Student, Allegedly Took SAT For Other Students" (Huffington Post 2011); and "SAT cheating scheme uncovered; 7 arrested" (Strauss 2011). Testing and assessment have gotten out of control. Since the SAT is factored into the college admission process, it becomes is painfully obvious the system needs an overhaul. Today, the SAT is "utilized in some capacity by nearly every selective institution in the country as a measure of a student's ability" (Epstein 2009, 9). However, it seems that these selective institutions may be using the SAT for purposes other than predicting academic success of admitted students. Does the SAT have a future? It depends. However, it seems that the SAT of old is not a useful tool for the admission process if the SAT continues to state that the test predicts college success. The SAT subject tests are better indicators of future success, but even those do not evaluate a student as well as his/her high school grades. If the SAT is a tipping factor for some applicants, it may be of some use for admission. However, it seems that the University of California (UC) system is headed in the right direction. It decided, "SAT Subject Tests will not be required for fall 2012 admission or beyond, [although] some campuses recommend that students vying for slots in competitive majors take the tests to demonstrate subject proficiency." For state universities and colleges, a change in high school curriculum may be useful in college admissions. (Contains 4 notes.)
IAP - Information Age Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 79049, Charlotte, NC 28271-7047. Tel: 704-752-9125; Fax: 704-752-9113; e-mail: infoage@infoagepub.com; Web site: http://www.infoagepub.com/american-educational-history-journal.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A