SAT Under Scrutiny Again: Scores Drop Further 08/31/2007 by Paulina Mis College Board has been dealt another big blow. Just days after it was revealed they
had bought their way into spots on preferred-lender lists, College Board announced
a drop in SAT scores. College Board, a nonprofit organization that administers the
SAT and AP tests, announced on August 28th that the average combined scores for
2007 graduates dropped by 1 point in critical reading and by 3 points in math and
writing. Since 1967, average reading scores dropped by 41 points and math scores
by 1 point (writing scores were not reported). College Board stressed the positive
saying that more students, minorities in particular, were taking the test.
Earlier this year, the SAT was scrutinized after research released by the University
of California revealed that the correlation between high school grades and SAT scores
may not be as accurate as once thought. Although the test was a good indicator of
first-year grades, the following three did not match up. Eventually, ambitious students
adjusted to the University of California’s difficult curriculum, regardless of initial
preparation.
The study was a continuation of a 2003 study which showed that SAT performance was
better than GPA in predicting first-year college performance. Apparently, after
catching up with the 80,000 students sampled, things had changed. In fact, findings
showed that the longer students attended college, the greater the value in using
high school grades as a means of predicting future performance. Such findings indicate
that the strong correlation between SAT scores and socioeconomic factors is eventually
watered down. The implications of this research are yet unclear. It is, however,
becoming clear that the SAT may not be as good of an indicator of college performance
as was once thought.
The question of whether the SAT & ACT tests should continue to be administered
was one of two issues addressed in Scholarships.com’s annual Resolve to Evolve essay
contest (the second dealt with the population’s effect on the environment.) To read
what students had to say, you can visit the Scholarships.com 2007 Resolve to Evolve Award Winners page. To find sample questions and advice on preparing
for standardized tests, you may visit the Resources section at Scholarships.com. |