Artificial competence within students
As many people know, the college admission process at this point is more so controlled by business than by anything else. The SAT. The ACT. And more. I must admit, it's good business--The College Board is making tons of money. However, time and time again I see kids fall into a sort of SAT trance. I can define the "trance" essentially as over the top preparations for the test, and general obsession.There's the kids who take standardized tests so many times but fail to make significant improvements. It's been said multiple times, but kids fail to process it: the SAT is not a judge of "scholastic aptitude" but rather of how well you know the test. I don't know about you all, but not once have I taken a test in school like an SAT, just tests that judge actual competence. There're innumerable kids who spend extreme amounts of time preparing--taking multiple review classes, taking practice tests every weekend, getting a tutor, getting a college counselor (whatever that is). Half the time, it's parents forcing their child into such situations. Even so, it makes me sick to my stomach. It's one thing taking a class to acclimate oneself to the test, but going to such an extent creates a sort of artificial competence. No parent should create this for their child and no child should create this for himself or herself.
What good will spending all your free time preparing for a test do? None. None at all. Even if it does get you accepted into a desired college, the artificial competence will soon come clashing down, as you find that college exams do not in fact require intense test-taking "skills" preparation specific to the SAT or ACT, but rather require knowledge of actual material. I always pity the child who has struggling grades, struggling sleep habits, and other detriments merely because they're trying to get a good score on an SAT. There are countless activities that would benefit academically far more than "studying" for an SAT all the time.
I still don't understand how colleges know this and (for the majority) use SAT's as such a key part of the admissions process. It must be for the money. But even so, when there's the kid who goes around saying "Hwah hwah hwah I have a 2400 on the SAT," when meanwhile they have a 2.99 GPA, it's extremely unsettling.
Richard C. Atkinson, the president of the University of California, said:
Anyone involved in education should be concerned about how overemphasis on the SAT is distorting educational priorities and practices, how the test is perceived by many as unfair, and how it can have a devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students. There is widespread agreement that overemphasis on the SAT harms American education.
The whole trance about it is what annoys me, as I've said. The test says nothing about your academic competence or scholastic aptitude. So, please, you don't need to talk about your 2350. Especially if you're actually not one of the most competent of the competents.
Media
The resemblance between the Gilded Age robber barons (monopolizers) and the College Board and SAT supporters is overwhelming.
(Click for source image.)
Conclusion
Now, to calm you down from that terror, here are some nice pictures of a lake that I took.
Wow I completely agree with your view on the SAT/ACT. They really do not show how competent a student is. They merely show who is better at obsessing over something that means so little. I personally have decided not to over study for these tests because I see no purpose. You have the ability to get into any school of their choosing without a great SAT score. As long as your grades, extracurriculars, etc. are impressive; colleges are going to accept you. This fixation on the perfect SAT or ACT score drives students, such as some of my friends, to an unhealthy mental state in which they believe their whole lives are decided for them based on one test score. This is simply not the case. Think of all of the people who never even graduated high school but went on to greatness: Abraham Lincoln, Bryan Adams, Albert Einstein or even Richard Branson. In the grand scheme of life, the SAT just does not matter that much and people need to learn to put things in perspective. While it would be nice to get a 2400 on the SAT and attend any school you want, your life will still go on if your SAT scores are not very good.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with your view that there is overemphasis on the SAT and other standardized tests--primarily because it's big business, it is unfortunately a part of our lives that we have to deal with--as much as we may not want to. And while we shouldn't obsess, we sadly are someone controlled by our scores since they do affect our admissions goals. I agree wholeheartedly with the unfairness of the fact that one test counts for three years of work. Recently, one of my friends got a 2200 on his SAT and I know for a fact that he doesn't try hard in school--and, although he is very smart, he doesn't apply himself. The fact of the matter is that some people are just good test takers and can really do well on this test. On the other hand, people spend their entire high school career preparing for this test and sometimes it is just not a good day for them. This is the main reason the SAT is not the most accurate measure of "scholastic aptitude". If only there were another way...
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for the relaxing pictures to calm me down while thinking about the dreaded SAT....
As I said before a tests that tests how well you take tests is fairly odd, however it's also the system. In the end we don't really have a choice do we? As for bragging about score, I admit I hate people who do that, that said I might be one of those people. I know the minute I get the minimum score I need on the SAT's I'll be so relieved that I'll probably tell the whole world. It would be like a weight lifted off my shoulders... isn't it funny how something that doesn't count for anything can be such a burden?
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