America's Big Test

AMERICA'S TS THE CULMINATION OF AMERI- BIG CAN K-12 EDUCATION: STUDENTS MUST PROVE THEY'RE READY FOR COLLEGE. THE SAT RESULTS FOR 2011 ARE IN, AND WHAT DO THEY REVEAL? THE DISPARITY IN ACHIEVEMENT IS GROWING. SOME STUDENTS' SCORES ARE DROPPING, SOME ARE RISING, AND THE MAJORITY ARE NOT PREPARED TO SUCCEED AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL. TEST RSNAMORIT SEORES? WHAT'S BEHIND OUR THE SAT HAS 3 SECTIONS: SECTIONS ARE SCORED FROM 2,00 1,00 O MATH HIGHEST POSSIBLE COMBINED SCORE: CRITICAL READING 2011'S COMBINED AVERAGE SCORE: O WRITING G PONIS DOWN 1506 POINTS DOWN FROM 2010'S 1550 STUDENTS SCORING A 1,550 HAVE A 65% CHANCE OF AVERAGING AT LEAST A B- AS COLLEGE FRESHMEN. A. 2.7 %3D SAT SCORE COLLEGE GPA ONLY 43% SCORED THAT HIGH THIS YEAR LESS THAN OF THE SAT-TAKING CLASS OF 2011 2 IS EXPECTED TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE. AS DIVERSITY GOES UP, SAT SCORES GO DOWN * 30% OF SAT-TAKERS IN 2011 BLACK, HISPANIC & NATIVE AMERICAN WE'RE WITH YOU, LIBERAL READER: IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE THESE GROUPS' SCORES REMAIN SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF WHITES AND ASIANS. IMEAN WHILE MORE STUDENTS COME FROM HOMES WHERE MORE THAN JUST ENGLISH IS SPOKEN. TEST TAKERS O = 50,000 ONLY ENGLISH O = 50,000 MULTI-LINGUAL THE NUMBER OF 2010 2000 HIGH SCORES IS ACTUALLY GROWING FOR SOME. SAT MEAN CRITICAL READING SCORE 540 500 460 420 ASIAN WHITE BLACK - HISPANIC/LATINO 1999 2011 THE CLASS OF COLLEGE BOUND SENIORS' 2011 VS. 2006 AVERAGE SAT SCORES IN DECLINE Arrows indicate Wh WHITE As ASIAN Mx MEXICAN AI AMERICAN INDIAN growth or decline H Group Point diff. La LATINO Wh Bk BLACK PR PUERTO RICAN 01 2006-2011 POSITIVE GROWTH NEGATIVE GROWTH 2011 SCORE I READING MATH WRITING 600 As 17 580 560 540 Wh 01 520 01 As As 16 07 07 Wh 500 06 480 03 AI 460 09 01 01 La 07 03 07 04 440 PR PR Mx La 06 07 06 La 06 02 420 Bk 11 400 "PROPONENTS OF NCLB & SIMILAR STATE-LEVEL TESTING PROGRAMS PROMISED THAT OVERALL ACHIEVEMENT WOULD IMPROVE WHILE SCORE GAPS WOULD NARROW. HELPING THOSE PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE HIGH-STAKES TESTING: 99 AT THE TOP HAS TAKEN PLACE." HURTING THOSE AT THE BOTTOM BOB SCHAEFFER, PUBLIC EDUCATION DIRECTOR OF FAIRTEST NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND WEALTHIER STUDENTS GET A WELL ROUNDED EDUCATION EARLY ON. SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCREASED TESTING WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2005/06 HELPS ENSURE NOBODY (MOSTLY WHITE AND ASIAN): FALLS BEHIND. 3RD-8TH GRADE STUDENTS ARE TESTED ANNUALLY IN POORER RESOURCE-STRAPPED TEACHERS SPEND CLASS TIME PREPPING FOR TESTS. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MUST BE TESTED ONCE SCHOOL DISTRICTS LESS TIME IS SPENT (MOSTLY BLACK AND HISPANIC): BUILDING SKILLS TEACHING BROAD COGNITION IT'S CALLED THE MATTHEW EFFECT FOR WHOEVER HAS WILL BE GIVEN MORE, AND THEY WILL HAVE AN ABUNDANCE. WHOEVER DOES NOT HAVE, EVEN WHAT THEY HAVE WILL BE TAKEN FROM THEM. Matthew 25:29 THE BIBLICAL RULE UNFORTUNATELY HOLDS UP ALONG FAMILY INCOME LINES, TOO. STUDENTS THAT COME FROM FAMILIES MAKING: ABOVE $200,000 BELOW $20,000 AVG 586 IN MATH AVG 460 ÎN MATH THE SAT IS NOT WHILE ERASING SYSTEMIC POVERTY LOOKS TO BE THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION- SOMETHING THAT SADLY CAN'T BE ACCOMPLISHED IN AN AFTERNOON-THERE'S A THAT IMPORTANT SILVER LINING FOR THOSE TO NANY COLLEGES EXITING HIGH SCHOOL. THE SAT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR ADMISSIONS TO: 35 OF U.S. NEWS' 100 TOP-RANKED LIBERAL ARTS SCHOOLS. NATIONAL LIBERAL ARTS SCHOOLS. DISREGARD THE SAT COLLEGES WANT A FULL PICTURE OF EACH STUDENT WHILE AMERICAN K-12 EDUCATION PUTS INCREASING IMPORTANCE ON MET- RICS LIKE TESTS, COLLEGES HAVE MOVED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. WHILE MANY COLLEGES DE-EMPHASIZE THE SAT, THEY INCREASE THE IMPORTANCE OF OTHER FACTORS IN THEIR ADMISSIONS DECISIONS: HIGH SCHOOL GRADES EXTRA- CURRICULARS APPLICATION ESSAY ONLINEASSOCIATESDEGREE.COM BY NO ND HTTP://ACCEPTIONAL.COM/BLOG/COLLEGE-APPLICATION-ESSAYS-IMPORTANCE HTTP://FAIRTEST.ORG/MANY-TESTOPTIONAL-SCHOOLS-EARN-HIGH-US-NEWS-RANKIN HTTP://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2011/09/15/SAT_SCORES DROP_AND_COLLEGE_BOARD_INTRODUCES_NEW_BENCHMARK HTTP://WWW.NYTIMES.COM/2011/09/19/0PINION/HOW-TO-STOP-THE-DROP-IN-VERBAL-SCORES.HTML HTTP://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2011/09/15/SAT_SCORES_DROP_AND_COLLEGE_BOARD_INTRODUCES_NEW_BENCHMARK HTTP://FAIRTEST.ORG/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/SAT_SCORES 2011.PDF HTTP://FAIRTEST.ORG/LARGE-2011-SAT-SCORE-DECLINE-SHOWS-NCLB-FAILURE HTTP://FAIRTEST.ORG/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/SAT_SCORES 2011.PDF HTTP://WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM/NATIONAL/ARCHIVE/2011/09/FALLING-SAT-SCORES-WIDENING-ACHIEVEMENT-GAP/245176/ HTTP://WWW.FAIRTEST.ORG/2000-COLLEGE-BOUND-SENIORS-TEST-SCORES-SAT HTTP://WWW.NYTIMES.COM/2011/09/15/EDUCATION/15SAT.HTML?SCP=2&SQ=SAT%20TEST&ST-CSE