SAT changes - shorter, 2 hours vs 3 hours, digital format vs paper, easier shorter reading passages (probly more woke too), calculator allowed now. Trying to stay relevant when everyone knows test scores are racist and colleges are dropping them like flies.
They do cite, on the subject of high school grades, that over half the students now have an A avg thanks to grade inflation.
They don’t say if they’re doing dynamic difficulty testing (ie give harder questions as you do well or v versa), but do cite that there will be less issues with compromised tests may be less than with paper. Still, I’ve got to think letting people take it on their own hardware has to be pretty insecure.
I’d say if English is that big of an issue for you, then you should look to attend the Harvard of a country that you do speak the primary language. I know you were just illustrating a point, but an 800 math score and 1100 total means you could barely write your name on the reading section.
If that’s the case, then I’d argue the test makes it pretty clear that person is not ready for college. They should take the time needed to learn what is needed, then retake the test.
The article I read last night said this was the case - the shorter test is because they adjust the questions to quickly narrow down the taker’s competency. A rather cool concept, but I’m highly skeptical of the execution.
What language are they gonna be taught in, have to write reports in? If their English skills are so poor that they don’t follow well the instruction they receive or have trouble writing papers in decent English, isn’t that an issue worth considering for admission?
I agree that universities should dig deeper into individual scores, especially relative to stated majors. But how many of these applicants with low scores have English to blame for the low scores? Sure some are recent immigrants with low English skills which will weigh down their scores but what’s the case for most Native American or African American applicants? Isn’t English supposed to be their primary language?
And if you used language as excuse, why would it not apply to Asian applicants as well? They learn language inherently better than Hispanics? So much so that Asian applicants are required to have higher scores than White applicants who should statistically be the ones with the strongest English proficiency? No in my opinion, that does not explain the discrimination in scores.
The SAT is an intelligence test. It’s good at separating smarter people from less smart ones. Much better than grades, which were only loosely correlated with graduate academic success even before they got inflated, which is why it was such a commercial success and useful for colleges to pick smart undiscovered students out of unexceptionable schools or backgrounds, instead of just recruiting from their legacies or all the top prep schools.
The fact that different races have different mean performance is one of those largely unspoken truths - mokita. Someone wrote a book about Facing Reality, but of course no one wanted to review it.
And people like Ed are very definitely victims because of discrimination. So long as there are equal opportunity students or hires there’s always some question of whether a person is such. It’s like the boss’ nephew–he might be fine, he might not.
He’s very obviously using foreign words–in other words, someone for whom English isn’t their native language.
I don’t agree with his point, though–if you blow the English part of the SAT because it’s not your native language you’re also going to have a hard time with understanding the teacher in an elite school. (Now, if you blow an essay that’s another matter. Not being able to write clean grammar isn’t going to stop you from learning.)
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.”
They always say this, but never specify what information they’re taking issue with…
I agree. I think that’s why the essay was not part of the standard test and was scored outside of it on a separate scale. Many schools did not require it anyway which is probably why it got axed last year.
Test scores are not racist, but they are classist. More money for test prep and the like translates to higher scores. Schools are dropping them because they clearly show their discrimination.
I also agree with calculators allowed. They’re not testing if you can add 2 + 2, they’re testing higher math skills. In the real world there is little need to actually do the numbers. I use a lot of algebra in my work and a bit of trig, but almost no basic math beyond the 2 + 2 level. If you don’t understand the algebra the calculator isn’t going to be of much use.
The real world is almost all open book/open note. You need to understand the concepts, not memorize things. The only places you really need to memorize are the things that need to be done now. The surgeon can’t go look something up in the middle of surgery–but the doctor can go look up the right drug for the situation. (It’s happened to me twice–the first time I would have been surprised if he didn’t, the second I would have been shocked if he didn’t.)
I strongly disagree. The SAT vocabulary and essay-writing abilities are not required for STEM classes or most of General Ed. Or life.
Grammar’s the easy part. The SAT vocabulary, most of which doesn’t appear in normal conversations, can be a problem. Even for people who grow up here but in a community where you can get away without speaking much English.
And college classrooms are not part of those communities. Allowing those with limited english skills means the college experience must start with remedial work, which is opposite of being prepared.
Ah, the hand wringing by Harvard and especially their Diversity administration over the challenge to their racist policies. I mean, how could the university continue to function without a Diversity administration? The mind boggles, or at least those who were let in primarily for their diversity.
Itzel Vasquez-Rodriguez ’17, who took the stand in support of Harvard during the 2018 district court trial, said she was surprised that the Supreme Court had agreed to hear the case, but optimistic it would rely on precedent when crafting its opinion.
Bad news, buttercup. The Supreme Court doesn’t hear cases to just affirm the status quo and rely on precedent.
Grammar is not easy for people who grew up speaking a different grammar. It’s especially a problem when their language has one word concept where we have two. My wife is still completely untrustworthy about the use of he and she–because her native language doesn’t have them. (She learned her first word of English at 43.)
I’m guessing Chinese? Sure, an example of a very different (and difficult to learn) language, so I suppose grammar is not easy for everyone. But coming from a Romance, Germanic, Baltic, or Slavic languages (or Ebonics…) grammar should be easy.
I was talking about kids who need to take the SAT. It’s very difficult to learn a new language in adulthood. I know a few Chinese Americans who moved to the US over 30 years ago, in their 20s, and still have terrible English and constantly get the he/she wrong.
I recently had Google translate an article and some comments that are written in Romanian (I think). I was getting rather confused until I realized that the translated “he” could mean he or she.