it should be a persuasive essay. that colleges should use other admissions criteria instead of SAT scores and grades to find the best candidates?
Over the past few years, colleges have relied heavily on standardized test scores such as the SAT and ACT to gauge student’s college readiness. According to supporters of these admission criteria, SAT and ACT are low-cost methods for disadvantaged students to demonstrate their preparedness for college (Cooper). While the cost-effectiveness of SAT scores and grades is undeniable, these admission criteria are poor predictors of student success, fails to measure long-term study habits of students and are sometimes highly biased, which necessitates colleges to seek alternative ways to find the best college candidates.
Substantial evidence shows that SAT and ACT are worse predictors of student’s success, an aspect that calls for colleges to use alternative admissions criteria. Notably, Cooper observed that at less-selective four-year public colleges, students with an ordinary SAT and high SAT score had a 62% and 51% chance of graduating within six years. Allensworth and Clark (198) also add that high school grade point averages are more reliable predictors than test scores of college outcomes. These statistics signify that SAT is far from being a perfect predictor of student readiness for college, as those with a high score may have a lower chance of graduating. Arguably, the variation in performance following the use of the SAT score could be based on the metrics that the tests evaluate. Notably, the SAT mainly measures literacy, numeracy, and writing skills rather than other skills that students possess for academic success. The fact that students with a high SAT score have a lower probability of graduating within six years implies that the standardized tests are worse predictors of success and that colleges should use other admissions criteria.
Furthermore, considerable research shows that SAT scores fail to measure long-term study habits of students, making them relatively erroneous criteria for selecting the best candidate. Notably, Cooper observes that SAT scores measure short-term study behaviors such as student’s literacy, which may not be a true reflection of the latter’s performance. Arguably, students may end up cramming materials for the sake of passing the standardized test to join a particular college. However, the test may not measure the student’s long-term study habits and work ethic, such as the ability to complete assignments on time and attend lectures as per the college policies, which are essential predictors of student’s college readiness and success. As such, failure of SAT scores and grades to measure the long-term study habits and work ethics among students requires colleges to develop and use alternative admission criteria.
Additionally, SAT scores are sometimes highly biased, thus triggering the need for colleges to use other admission criteria for purposes of fairness. For example, Selingo avers that the standardized test scores are highly correlated with family income. Notably, sometimes applicants from high-income backgrounds bribe proctors to receive high ratings in such tests, compromising the fairness of the criteria and to larger extents lowering the chances of eligible candidates from disadvantaged families from qualifying for the limited college slots. While such cases are rare, they sometimes happen, as is evidenced by a prior college admission scandal. Notably, a proctor pled guilty of fixing student’s scores in exchange for bribes (Cooper). This scandal exemplifies the likelihood of the existence of biasness in the use of SAT scores and the need for colleges to develop alternative admission criteria.
As can be seen from the paper, SAT scores and grades are subject to multiple flaws that require colleges to seek alternative admission criteria. Notably, SAT scores are a poor predictor of student success, fail to measure long-term study habits of students, and are sometimes correlated to the family income. Given that thousands of high school students graduate with excellent scores every year and the college slots are fixed, institutions should actively work to develop admission criteria that facilitate the selection of the best candidates.
Works Cited
Allensworth, Elaine, and Clark, Kallie. “High School GPAs and ACT Scores as Predictors of College Completion: Examining Assumptions About Consistency Across High Schools.” Educational Researcher, vol.49, no. 3, 2010, pp. 198-211. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0013189X20902110
Cooper, Preston. “Should Colleges Abandon SAT Score Requirements?” Forbes, 7 Feb. 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/prestoncooper2/2020/02/07/should-colleges-abandon-sat-score-requirements/#51846fccedd3. Accessed 5 May 2020.
Selingo, Jeffrey. “The Two Most Important College-Admissions Criteria Now Mean Less.” The Atlantic, 25 May 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/05/college-admissions-gpa-sat-act/561167/. Accessed 5 May 2020.