Reply to The elite private schools are getting rid of grades altogether.

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "The elite private schools are getting rid of grades altogether."

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][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.

[/quote]

SAT used to be Scholastic Aptitude Test, but they have changed the test to measure achievement, rather than aptitude- potential ability.
For example, the math section now has many questions that are taught in algebra 2, and the verbal section no longer has analogies.

The admissions officer didn't have an answer, because the real answer is not allowed to be said in public.  It is not a primary criterion for admission, because they have racial quotas that have to be met.  Standardized test scores are still major criteria, but they have to meet their quotas first.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics