For those of you beginning their freshman year of college, did you ever wonder sitting in class what the average SAT score of your peers was? Well, according to USA Today, average SAT scores for the high school class of 2009 dropped two points compared to the previous year.
On the bright side, your class was one of the most diverse ever test-takers. Average scores varied by race and ethnicity,and the article reported that there were plenty of rises and gains among ethnic groups, including a 13-point gain among Asians or Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
But students who said they were Puerto Ricans posted a 9-point drop in average scores. The differences in SAT scores was most extreme between Asian students and black students. The College Board, who owns the SAT, mentioned that when more diverse students take the test, scores tend to decrease.
The Board said that there was a 40 percent minority participation rate among test-takers, which is a full 38 percent higher than last year and 29.2 percent higher than 10 years ago. USA Today reported that more than a third of college students say they’re first-generation college students whose parents never went to college, and one-fourth said English isn’t their first language.
However, like most topics, there’s always another side. Bob Schaeffer, a spokesman for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, said in the article that what stands out to him is the widening gap among race, gender and income. He feels that things like No Child Left Behind and many state testing programs say they want to improve education but, to him, data doesn’t show this.
Some schools are thinking about completely eliminating the SAT altogether. According to the Examiner, American University is launching a pilot program targeted to Early Decision candidates. The school plans to no longer require submission of either SAT or ACT scores for Early Decision students. The school is part of a group of other higher education institutions experimenting with unique ways to lessen the importance of standardized testing, the article said.
Our Take:
I think the diversity in SAT scores is hopeful. Our nation is well on our way to more diverse college students, which in turn would result in a more diverse workforce.
Without diversity, I feel that college students and those in the workforce would not get the proper amount of unique perspectives that they so desperately crave.
As far as American University goes, I think that as someone who had to study for the SAT and take a Princeton Review course, it is somewhat unfair that future students will no longer have to worry about taking it. Schools should think very hard about their views on standardized testing. What are your thoughts, if your university no longer required the SAT or ACT, would you be upset?
