How much do your standardized test scores matter?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The short answer: A lot. But it\u2019s complicated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
SAT and ACT<\/a> scores continue to matter, at least for the foreseeable future. Their legacy is strong even though the tests have long been criticized\u2014all the more since the outbreak of COVID-19\u2014for their divisive design.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Read on for specifics and don\u2019t worry\u2014no test awaits at the end.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n With origins dating back to the 1920s, the SAT, short for Scholastic Aptitude Test, is the older of the two. It evolved out of a test to assess the intelligence of U.S. Army recruits during WWI into an experimental college admission exam in 1926. A decade later, it was adopted by Harvard to evaluate scholarship applicants. By the late 1940s, it featured prominently as the college entrance exam to Ivy League universities and other exclusive schools of the Northeast.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Concerned about the SAT\u2019s exclusivity and focus on intelligence as aptitude, rather than academic achievement, a professor from the University of Iowa developed the ACT, American College Test, in 1959. He devised it as a tool to measure students\u2019 readiness for college based on their comprehension and application of key subjects they had learned in schools, such as English, Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Both tests have evolved and expanded over the decades and are known today primarily by their acronyms. Nowadays, most, if not all, US colleges and universities require their applicants to take at least one and earn a minimum score as part of the admissions process.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But critics charge neither test ever settled this question: Is the score a predictor of future college success or merely an assessment of the student\u2019s test-taking skill?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the debate anew, with an increasing number of voices suggesting: Let\u2019s get rid of the SAT and the ACT.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To understand the controversy, it\u2019s helpful to remember the norm of standardized test-taking.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n From the students\u2019 perspective\u2014and sometimes, their parents\u2019\u2014doing well on the tests means validation of sorts. The higher the score, the better and the more accomplished they might feel about themselves, their skills, and their academic future.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But a great test score is not just a question of self-esteem; it\u2019s also the possible ticket to a top university plus a highly coveted scholarship that will make attendance financially feasible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n With so much at stake, preparing for the SAT and or the ACT has become big business. A large test-preparation industry has emerged that seeks to coach students on how to increase their scores, study more effectively, learn various test-taking tips and best practices, and so forth. All for a substantial fee, of course, hindering many students and families.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Despite the inequities, colleges and universities value ACT and SAT scores as a way to compare students on a metric that is independent of the often wildly dissimilar high school curricula across the nation. They also use them as a cutoff point to manage the sheer number of applications, and finally, they\u2019re likely to promote the high scores of their applicants as a testament to their own excellence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Life, as we knew, has been upended by the ongoing pandemic, including how, when, and where to take the standardized tests. Consider the following.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n All of which begs the question…<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Currently, many students are simply without test scores. They have been unable to take the exams because of the widespread cancellations throughout 2020.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n No clear directive has yet emerged from higher education institutions on how to address the problem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Since March, many colleges and universities have waived SAT\/ACT requirements at least for now, e.g., the University of California.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But others are sending mixed messages. On its website<\/a>, Purdue University states that it will evaluate applications without test scores for 2021 applications. Purdue calls itself \u201ctest flexible.\u201d But \u201c[t]his means that if a student can take an SAT or ACT, we prefer they do so.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The University of Michigan\u2019s policy contains similar ambiguity. On the one hand, its website<\/a> explains, \u201c…students who are unable to provide standardized test scores are encouraged to apply and will not be disadvantaged in the application process.\u201d On the other hand, a statement on the same page alerts applicants that \u201ctest scores are encouraged (SAT I or ACT), if available.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The University of Oregon<\/a> and Cornell University<\/a> are experimenting with test-optional policies yet will still consider test scores.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What\u2019s a student to do?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Uncertainty is most likely to prevail for the near future and no similar historic event exists to offer guidance. As you and your child decide your student\u2019s future, keep these points in mind:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHistory of the SAT and ACT<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Standardized testing before COVID-19<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Standardized testing in the age of COVID-19<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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To test or not to test?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What does this mean for you?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n