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SAT- Good or Bad? I say good

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oLahav
  • Authority 710
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oLahav said:

While the SATs can be seen as an annoying obstacle in the journey towards better education, standardized tests are in general important and beneficial.

Note that the SATs measure everybody’s knowledge and skill equally. Therefore, if your teacher gives you good marks because he likes you but doesn’t teach you very well, this will not give you a boost towards getting into college.

Also think about the fact that SAT performance helps ensure that the intelligent get a fair education even if they don’t have much money, as the tests can be used for scholarship determination.

I support the SATs, and I’m just sorry Canada and other countries don’t have similar standardized tests.

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  • Posted 6 months ago.
rt_08
  • Authority 31
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rt_08 disagreed:

good

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
hcraig
  • Authority 559
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hcraig disagreed:

My overall opinion is that the SAT exams places way to much emphasis on one particular thing. Your entire high school career is a much better indicator of how you’ll preform in college – not just how much you could cram into your brain before writing the SAT.

One particular point: Also think about the fact that SAT performance helps ensure that the intelligent get a fair education even if they don’t have much money, as the tests can be used for scholarship determination.

Students have have more money available to them still have benefits when it comes to writing the SAT. 1) They can afford more help studying, be it Prep books, study camps or group sessions or private tutoring. 2) They can afford to write the SAT over and over until they get a score they’re happy with.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
oLahav
  • Authority 710
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oLahav disagreed with:
hcraig
hcraig’s post:
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My overall opinion is that the SAT exams places way to much emphasis on one particular thing. Your entire high school career is a much better indicator of how you’ll preform in college – not just how much you could cram into your brain before writing the SAT.

One particular point: Also think about the fact that SAT performance helps ensure that the intelligent get a fair education even if they don’t have much money, as the tests can be used for scholarship determination.

Students have have more money available to them still have benefits when it comes to writing the SAT. 1) They can afford more help studying, be it Prep books, study camps or group sessions or private tutoring. 2) They can afford to write the SAT over and over until they get a score they’re happy with.

Come on, you can argue the same thing about final exams in any course you take in high school, it’s pretty much all about the on exam. Only then your grade is also affected by how much teacher like you- if you’re the kind of person teachers like you’ll get great marks and get into college even if you’re not smart. And I know people who got into a university (in Canada- no SAT) just thanks to that, it’s not great.

Besides, the SAT isn’t the only thing that determines admission into college, your average and extracurriculars and admission essay are all parts of it too. Which is why it’s good- it gives an extra factor for admission, and the more the merrier.

I do agree about the financial point… it’s sad, but it’s true.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
hcraig
  • Authority 559
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hcraig disagreed:

Oren: What’s up with this “if you’re the kind of person a teacher likes” – does that mean someone who actively participates in class? Does the homework and assigned readings? If your teacher is worth their salt, that would be how to decide who they like and who they don’t. Besides, as you mentioned above, it’s not just one thing that determines admissions, so if your mark in one class is bringing you down, couldn’t you balance it out with extracurricular activities or you admissions essay?

Also, if it’s all about the final exam anyway, isn’t the SAT redundent?

Furthermore: my beef is making it ‘all about’ one thing. I disagree with it as an effective measurement of academic performance – it’s not fair to people who don’t preform well under traditional test conditions. What if one person has an amazing ability to construct an essay when the have time to prepare, but under the time constraints doesn’t do nearly as well. Or someone who an express themselves orally very well, but isn’t great with writing. Are they less intelligent or less deserving of marks?

I can’t speak to the American system, but I know in Ontario teachers colleges there is a movement towards developing tests and evaluations that includes various styles of learners, like kinetic learners. I know this is impossible for some subjects. You’ll never really be able to give a speech abut a math answers… but I think it’s a step in the right direction.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
acrosstheuniverse
  • Authority 631
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acrosstheuniverse agreed:

“Also, if it’s all about the final exam anyway, isn’t the SAT redundent?” – hcraig

I believe it is. Getting into a good college should be a mark of how we’ve progressed through our high school career. Students work hard to achieve the grades they do on final exams and course projects. High school itself is a measure of how students will do in college and university since it is where the teaching and learning contributes and prepares them for post-secondary education.

What I don’t understand about the SAT is it’s generality. Yes, it is great to test your English skills and Math skills to see if you’re at the standard or higher level. But is this the kind of structured studying and learning you’ll need to attain to do well in your future education?

I think that the extra studying and preparing for specific ways to “crack” the SAT isn’t needed. Learning something should not be to crack it like a code. The best learning is gradual, something that will stick in your head after you’ve learned it.

I may be speaking from personal experience here, but I’ve learned the most from writing essays, things that take time and research to produce a great result. Cramming for tests takes a particular toll on you and I know that in some cases, I’ve walked out saying to myself “what did I just write?”.

Anyway, I digress. I agree that the SAT is not an effective measure of academic performance. I believe the standardized nature (although encourages equality) segregates learners to excel if they don’t fit the test conditions, or have studied in the particular way that is required of them. I think that academic performance can be (and is graded in Canada) determined through what you’ve done in high school, your extracurriculars, the admission essay and your grades. The SAT to me is just another step to study for that doesn’t really show the markers anything they could already see from the other admission requirements.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
oLahav
  • Authority 710
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oLahav disagreed:

The thing you’re missing is- the SAT isn’t supposed to judge your ability for life or work or anything. Just for college, and college is just an extension of highschool- more tests, more exams, more lessons. Yeah, fine, it won’t indicate how great you’ll do on the job when you graduate or anything about verbal communication skills… but that’s not what college is about anyway. Some of it is, sure, like high school, but most isn’t.

And Heather- teachers don’t always like the kids who do all their homework and participates, sadly. Also, some teachers are tough markers while some are super lenient. And even here in Ontario, curriculums differ between regions and even individual schools. We don’t have any way of deciphering who knows what when they enter the first year of college or university, and this frustrates the profs like no tomorrow (believe me, I’ve talked to them), and forces them to teach material some students already know, which is a waste of time and money for them. SAT Subject Tests solve some of these problems.

I should point out though- I’m a test freak. I enjoy taking tests, it’s what I’m good at (I like presentations and projects too, sure, but there’s nothing like the rush of a final exam)... so maybe don’t have the most objective opinion. Sorry, don’t shoot me for it.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
oLahav
  • Authority 710
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oLahav disagreed:

Double post again! Urrghhhgghhh

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
soumma
  • Authority 33
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soumma agreed:

yes it is good it enhances hte ability to think…........because some of the questions are tricky

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
acrosstheuniverse
  • Authority 631
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acrosstheuniverse agreed:

I agree with Soumma that it does enhance the ability to think. In some cases, it enhances the ability we are to think differently. Some people thrive on standardized tests as well as, as Oren has pointed out. As for the trickiness, that comes with the territory, and is probably tricky for all at an equal level, or at least it is trying to be on an equal level.

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  • Posted 5 months ago.
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