U of California System Proposes to Drop the Wrong Tests
Stuart Nachbar
November 11, 2008
Just back from election week, I read that the University of California´s Board of Regents proposes to drop SAT II subject examinations, known in my day as "achievement tests," as an admissions requirement for their next freshman class.
Unlike the SATs which measure language arts (reading and vocabulary) skills, mathematics and writing skills, and are widely criticized by educators. SAT II tests are more tightly aligned with high school curriculums in individual subjects. In addition to tests in language arts and mathematics, there are SAT II examinations in other subjects such as American history and biology.
In theory, a student should be able to take the language arts and mathematics examinations by the beginning of their senior year in high school, or at towards the completion of a course in that subject area (for example, taking the biology examination after completing an advanced biology course).
Since states, such my home state of New Jersey, are moving to stronger core curriculum requirements for high school graduations, including chemistry and advanced biology, it is only appropriate for educators to use the SAT II exams as a guide for developing final examinations for these courses. Classes and college preparatory examinations should be tied together more tightly and high schools should be given the necessary support to do that.
In a school system willing to pay the fees for all students enrolled in the junior or senior level courses the SAT II could be the final exam. And a college could use the results of these examinations for course placement purposes; it is fairer than using SAT scores and puts less burden on a college to administer their own tests at freshman orientation. That should be a win-win-win-win for students, parents, high school teachers and the colleges.
I found the University of California proposal interesting, because it would take the system in a direction opposite to the one taken by other quality institutions: it could inadvertently place more emphasis on the more-criticized SAT, because that would provide the only test scores for an admissions officer´s consideration. Unfortunately, a state university must place more emphasis on numbers than a small, private liberal arts college because of the sheer volume of applications it receives each year. But this proposal will force decisions based on the wrong set of numbers, not the right ones.
The proposal also flies in the face of a trend among admissions officers to de-emphasize the SAT. According to Fairtest.Org, there are 775 colleges and universities that do not require the SATs for admissions purposes. However, the two state universities on the Fairtest list that are closest to the reputation of the University of California system, the University of Texas-Austin and Texas A&M, require SAT scores when minimum GPA and class rank standards are not met. The state of Texas has an admissions standard based on class rank; students in the top ten percent of their classes are admitted to their school of choice.
While it is good to reward a high class rank—and the University of California proposes to do the same thing, in addition to dropping the SAT II requirement—that number is meaningless for small high schools, including highly competitive public and private schools. Another measure is needed, and the SAT II results are a fairer measure than the SATs.
Neither Fairtest nor the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) criticizes the use of the SAT II subject area exams for admissions or course placement decisions, although they have advocated de-emphasizing the SATs. It seems like the University of California is de-emphasizing the fairer and more relevant tests.
Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com, a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com.
Unlike the SATs which measure language arts (reading and vocabulary) skills, mathematics and writing skills, and are widely criticized by educators. SAT II tests are more tightly aligned with high school curriculums in individual subjects. In addition to tests in language arts and mathematics, there are SAT II examinations in other subjects such as American history and biology.
In theory, a student should be able to take the language arts and mathematics examinations by the beginning of their senior year in high school, or at towards the completion of a course in that subject area (for example, taking the biology examination after completing an advanced biology course).
Since states, such my home state of New Jersey, are moving to stronger core curriculum requirements for high school graduations, including chemistry and advanced biology, it is only appropriate for educators to use the SAT II exams as a guide for developing final examinations for these courses. Classes and college preparatory examinations should be tied together more tightly and high schools should be given the necessary support to do that.
In a school system willing to pay the fees for all students enrolled in the junior or senior level courses the SAT II could be the final exam. And a college could use the results of these examinations for course placement purposes; it is fairer than using SAT scores and puts less burden on a college to administer their own tests at freshman orientation. That should be a win-win-win-win for students, parents, high school teachers and the colleges.
I found the University of California proposal interesting, because it would take the system in a direction opposite to the one taken by other quality institutions: it could inadvertently place more emphasis on the more-criticized SAT, because that would provide the only test scores for an admissions officer´s consideration. Unfortunately, a state university must place more emphasis on numbers than a small, private liberal arts college because of the sheer volume of applications it receives each year. But this proposal will force decisions based on the wrong set of numbers, not the right ones.
The proposal also flies in the face of a trend among admissions officers to de-emphasize the SAT. According to Fairtest.Org, there are 775 colleges and universities that do not require the SATs for admissions purposes. However, the two state universities on the Fairtest list that are closest to the reputation of the University of California system, the University of Texas-Austin and Texas A&M, require SAT scores when minimum GPA and class rank standards are not met. The state of Texas has an admissions standard based on class rank; students in the top ten percent of their classes are admitted to their school of choice.
While it is good to reward a high class rank—and the University of California proposes to do the same thing, in addition to dropping the SAT II requirement—that number is meaningless for small high schools, including highly competitive public and private schools. Another measure is needed, and the SAT II results are a fairer measure than the SATs.
Neither Fairtest nor the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) criticizes the use of the SAT II subject area exams for admissions or course placement decisions, although they have advocated de-emphasizing the SATs. It seems like the University of California is de-emphasizing the fairer and more relevant tests.
Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com, a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com.
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