By Cheryl Y.
Fellow students, how are you faring with studying for standardized tests this year?
For many, that answer will reflect the extra challenges this pandemic has placed on these exams. But pandemic or not, these tests should not be heavily relied on to evaluate a student’s knowledge and academic achievement.
While many students did not have the chance to take the SAT or ACT this past year, standardized tests have been a prevailing symbol of student life. In elementary school, I remember taking the Iowa Test every year. And every year, my classmates and I dreaded them because we didn’t know what to expect. Now, in high school, most teenagers fear standardized tests like the SAT and ACT because we are taught that these things are the make-it-or-break-it for getting into college.
In the summer before junior year, my parents paid for me to attend an eight-week SAT bootcamp. And my SAT score increased by approximately 200 points. But not every student has the same privilege as I do. Some of my friends who come from low-income families could not afford dense SAT practice books or costly programs. So, I’ve seen how wealth is correlated with higher SAT scores. And that disparity angers me.
(Washington Post March 5, 2014)
While yes, Khan Academy is always a free, online alternative. But frankly, most high schoolers don’t have the discipline or motivation—especially now—to practice diligently. And some students may not have access to Wifi.
Last May, the University of California voted to drop their SAT and ACT requirement. Now, the institution is conducting a study on the possibility of creating its own admissions test. However, this means that students will have to take a separate test if applying to UCs since other popular universities still require the SAT or ACT. But my greatest worry is that making another test ignores the larger problem: racism in the American education system.
Sean F. Reardon, a professor at Stanford University’s graduate school of education summarizes the problem: “they (students of color) are in poorer communities, have less local resources, have fewer parents with college degrees…So for a lot of reasons schools serving poor kids tend to have fewer resources, both economic and social capital resources.”
This means that a student’s success on standardized tests are reliant on whether that student is able to receive resources. Affluent families can send their children to private schools where students have access to more resources to do well on standardized tests. And what has been a longstanding hallmark of American private schools? White students.
According to UCLA’s 2018 Civil Rights Project, white students are overrepresented in private schools, comprising 69% of private school enrollment. Meanwhile, Black and Hispanic students only make up 10% of students in private schools.
The American education system is failing its students, which is evident in the fact that not all students have the opportunity to excel. Writing new standardized tests will not fix the wealth gap that is fueled by systemic racism. And yes, imagining the future of education is a tall task. But we need to start imagining so that it may become reality.
