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[quote=pbraverman][quote=Anonymous]... this is a move to get rid of standardized metrics, that measure, well, merit....[/quote]

This is quite a statement. Not even the College Board contends that the SAT measures "merit."

Three years ago, when my daughter was just beginning a college search, an associate admission director at a "most-competitive" college made several comments downplaying their reliance on standardized tests. I asked during the Q&A, "You've spent some time explaining that standardized tests are not a primary criterion for admission. What information *do* you gain from SAT and ACT scores? What do those test scores tell you about applicants? In short, why do you require them?"

She was silent for a very long time — perhaps 15 seconds — before saying that she didn't really know. If an admission officer at a highly competitive school can't (or won't) tell us what she learns from standardized test results, I'm not sure what "merit" they're measuring.

Standardized tests provide a reasonably accurate measure of a specific skill set. I am not opposed to the tests per se; I am opposed to using them to draw conclusions beyond the skill set they assess effectively. I believe this is seldom discussed, in part because it is manifestly in the interest of test publishers to remain silent, allowing students and parents to interpret those scores in terms of "intelligence," "achievement," and "merit."[/quote]

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