<p>I wouldn't recommend confusing the SAT argument by mixing in a discussion of basic skills mastery testing in primary schools. Correlating the SAT I with success in college is a different topic than suggesting that 5th graders should be able to demonstrate they have learned a grade-appropriate amount of math and English.</p>
<p>It's generally acknowledged that the SAT alone is a weak predictor of college GPA, though when combined with HS GPA creates a somewhat better predictor.</p>
<p>It seems likely that some kind of standardized test will always be a part of the admissions process at many colleges, since high school GPA is so variable between schools and sometimes even within a school. A more comprehensive test might be harder to prep for and yield better differentiation between candidates.</p>
<p>I agree as well- and I bemoan that our educational system is being taken over in the K-12 schools by companies that produce the tests & the curriculum and whom we hire with taxpayer money as consultants to determine if students are learning what the tests want them to.
t
My oldest didnt' do badly on the SAT she had about a 1300 I think although her IQ( 160) might have suggested that she score higher.
She likes tests- but her sister who more of a holistic thinker and makes connections many people wouldn't get- doesn't think tests are fun she thinks they are a waste of time.
She would rather have a project or paper to work on that teaches* her* something- she is not one to jump through hoops just "because"</p>
<p>We don't even need teachers anymore- we just need people who are willing to promote a predesigned curriculum and convince parents that- that is all their child needs to learn at school.</p>
<p>Taxguy, I found out recently from a current admissions counselor at a selective private college that the essays ARE sent to admissions offices. He intended to use them to compare against application essays.</p>
<p>The SAT II subject exams and the AP exams are MUCH BETTER in comparing students across high schools. At least these exams test students on what they study in class. Knowing clever tricks (like the Joe Bloggs Rule) isn't as critical while knowing the actual subject matter is.</p>
<p>Demanding that students disclose what preparation they did for the SAT is unfair, unenforceable, and only underscores how dumb the test is. The idea of making students admit that they used the Princeton Review books and <em>Up Your Score</em> sounds like Big Brother at work, and nobody will admit to using these preparation tools if they get penalized for doing so. If using the Princeton Review books and <em>Up Your Score</em> is cheating, then studying the textbook, homework, and notes for a class is also cheating. The fact that learning silly Princeton Review tricks is an effective way to raise scores (and accomplishes far more in less time than intellectual study) underscores what a dumb and worthless exam the SAT is.</p>
<p>I think the colleges are somewhat more savvy about how they use the SAT. I thought that I had been told that the colleges first looked at GPA and difficulty of the courses taken. They then use the SAT I to see if you're an overachiever or underachiever and to compare the various HSs to catch a glimpse of the student's environment. From an earlier post I have learned that the colleges can use the submitted essays to estimate how much "pollishing" the application essays have undergone. It seems to me that however imperfect they may be the SATs have some value and the colleges are not using them as an absolute measure of ability. This is different from the absolute way it seems that the elementary school exams are used.</p>
<p>I'm not a big fan of the essay section on SAT II writing and don't think it's very indicative of what an applicant is capable of.</p>
<p>I took the SAT II Writing test twice. The first time I wrote, in my opinion, a beautiful piece of prose. There were probably a few grammatical mistakes due to some complex sentences but I doubt it was mistake-ridden. I received only a 9 out of 12.</p>
<p>The second time, I tried a different strategy. I only wrote short grammatical error-free sentences. Literally, sentences like "I went to the store. I bought milk. The sky is blue." There was no structure, form, voice, flow, but, hey, the sentences were grammatically correct. I received a 11 out of 12.</p>
<p>Judging from my second, piece of crap essay, you'd have thought I was incapable of writing above 3rd grade level.</p>