<p>SATs may not require a calculator, but my S felt that knowing how to use a graphing calculator gives one a huge advantage. It is just his opinion, and he did score well on the test. Yes, one can read a manual and self learn. One can self study many things, including calculator usage. I don't think that absolves the public schools from teaching students how to use a calculator. Additionally, I do feel that many students cannot afford one. My original point was that just as some students cannot afford to take a few Saturday's off from a job to sit for SAT testing (single section retesting was discussed), some cannot afford to purchase a graphing calculator. This is not an issue for our family, but I still see it as something unfair in SAT testing.</p>
<p>My son didn't have a graphing calculator when he took the SAT. He felt using a calculator would slow him down. </p>
<p>Teens figure out how to operate all the buttons on cell phones without schools teaching them. Why not calculators? Decades ago when calculators first came out, students figured out how to use them without being taught in schools. Are today's students less able to read and understand instruction manuals? I'd bet a substantial number of parents on this list have taught themselves how to use their calculators, their computers, their VCRs, their microwaves, and any number of other gadgets without ever having taken a formal class. </p>
<p>I'd be surprised if many teens literally could not afford to take a Saturday off to take the SAT. Most working teens are not supporting their families. Most working teens spend a substantial amount of their earnings on non-essentials. At $8 an hour, a working teen would lose only $64 in wages to take the SAT. Furthermore, most employers will readily agree to change work schedules so teens can take the SAT.</p>
<p>More to the point of this thread, if a college admission officer notes that a child truly is of limited means, the admission officer already evaluates the child's scores and number of retakes on the SAT I in that light. The SAT I isn't disadvantaging anyone ready for college, if the student truly is ready for college and takes the SAT I only one time. That there are so many young people who are unready for college is a separate issue, well worth doing something about, but changing how the SAT I is administered does nothing to address that issue.</p>
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Most working teens spend a substantial amount of their earnings on non-essentials. At $8 an hour, a working teen would lose only $64 in wages to take the SAT. Furthermore, most employers will readily agree to change work schedules so teens can take the SAT.
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<p>I agree with all of this for middle America, but I don't think that is true for all students, and might really be an issue for still a fair amount of students. </p>
<p>As I said, yes one can self learn many things, but I don't think that excuses the public high schools from teaching one how to use a graphing calculator, just as one is taught how to use the microscope. I believe that it should be a part of the curriculum in all high schools. I also think that they should be made available to all students if they may be used while taking a high stakes test, like the SAT.</p>