Could SAT and ACT scores become a thing of the past?

[jmyrlefuller]

http://wjtn.com/news-and-closings/national-headlines/72f35dd40d60e5daefc3dd24232b29ea

no byline (originated from ABC News Radio)
June 21, 2018

After the University of Chicago announced late last week it's scrapping a requirement for applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores, some experts predict other colleges may soon do the same."I know other schools will follow," Bob Schaeffer, public education director at the nonprofit National Center for Fair and Open Testing, told Good Morning America. "It's a huge trend."

"Evidence shows that there are better ways to determine which applicants are likely to succeed as undergraduates," Schaeffer said. "You don't need the ACT or SAT test to do that. High school record predicts undergraduate success and graduation better than any test has ever done."

Schaeffer argued that "non-academic" factors such as extracurricular activities, leadership skills, community service and "whether you've overcome obstacles in your life," are also often key indicators of whether a student will thrive at a university.

(excerpt)

[jmyrlefuller]

I, for one, think this is nonsense.

The same privileged students who they claim do better on these tests are the ones who have the transportation and the time to be able to do extracurriculars and community service. I speak from experience. The SAT was how I got into college. I had a very rough ninth grade, and it took me about halfway through tenth grade to get my academic record together. Yet I could always ace a test, and I think I ended up with the highest score in my class by a fairly hefty margin. I never took a prep course and my family was by no means wealthy; most extracurriculars, for a number of reasons, were out of the question.

Objective standards, such as standardized testing, are important. The results can't be fudged.

[Sanguine]

SAT and ACT measure what they have been developed to measure; success in college, and by implication, success in life.  And, they do.

[mountaineer]

Schaeffer argued that "non-academic" factors such as extracurricular activities, leadership skills, community service and "whether you've overcome obstacles in your life," are also often key indicators of whether a student will thrive at a university.

In other words, are you a homosexual or transgendered teen?

[Oceander]

In other words, are you a homosexual or transgendered teen?

Or a favored minority from a bad school district.