Running head: SAT CRITIQUE 1
Terri Agostino
SAT Critique
Wilmington University
SAT CRITIQUE 2
Abstract
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, is a standardized measure of differences in scholastic ability and achievement among undergraduate applicants to U. S. colleges. With being created in the 1920’s and allowing many years for improvement and sample testing, the SAT proves time and time again to be accurate, reliable and valid. SAT scores predict the variance in freshman college course grades despite differences among schools, in course difficulty, in professors’ grading practices, and in student effort, mood, and adjustment to college. Although the SAT’s statistical numbers are second to none, the test and its makers are constantly under criticism for alleged biases. Although the SAT may force our attention to the reality that all students are not offered an equal education, blaming the SAT is probably not an appropriate solution. Furthermore, the standardized test that continues to get scrutinized has been involved in undergraduate entrance for decades. This trend will continue and the SAT will be a large part of college acceptance until all of the overwhelming supportive data is proved ineffective.
SAT CRITIQUE 3
Test Coverage and Use
The College Board states that the SAT measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problems—skills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school sophomores, juniors and seniors (College Board, About, 2011). Specifically, the College Board states that use of the SAT in combination with high school grade point average (GPA) provides a better indicator of success in college than high school...