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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is why the SAT and ACT are such a joke.  The more money and time you spend on test prep, the higher the score.  Sure, free Khan Academy can help.  But parents with money and ambition are doing classes, one-on-one coaching and prep, with 250/hour tutors.  A farce to say this measures intelligence or college readiness.[/quote]

Guess what else involves a commitment of time and money? College.

Maybe trade school placement is a more suitable option for individuals who cannot perform to certain levels on standardized tests, which ARE predictive of college preparedness and readiness.[/quote]

My 1200 kid started there, did tons of 1-1 tutoring and got nowhere (think 6 months plus, back when scores were required). They have ADHD and no executive functioning so testing is challenging. Add in anxiety and it's a shitshow at times.  
 
They went to a T80 university, with excellent merit, graduated with a 3.7+, started a job immediately with an excellent company (one that only 11% of applicants make it past the initial testing).    SAT is not predictive of college preparedness and readiness.  That kid has the people skills and drive to excel.  Once someone meets them and works with them, they 1000% want my kid on their team.  We always knew they just needed to get their degree and first job and then they will excel after that.  We were accurate.  Now no employer cares what their SAT was or even their college gpa (2 years+ out of college).  They have stellar references and are performing well

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Your son is an exception, not part of some vast population that constitute a rule. Read the U-T report on stark grade outcomes that led to their immediate resumption of a standardized testing requirement of each applicant during the admissions process.[/quote]

Standardized testing isn't perfect, but it remains the single best predictor of performance in college. As I recall, UT found that test optional students scored .8 of a grade point average lower than students that submitted tests, and were substantially more likely to flunk out. The other schools that have returned to test required haven't publicized their data, as far as I know, but it must be similar to justify ditching test optional. [/quote]
I hate having to start this discussion, but I do think it needs to be said: The UT Study sucks. They didn't account for the backgrounds of the students in the study, just the data of students with different sat scores and their outcomes. UT serves a diverse population even for public schools because of the top 6% rule, stating that they have to accept the top 6% of any Texas high schools into the College of Liberal Arts.

To make it clear why this is an issue, imagine reading data from SAT 1500 students at Sidwell-Friends and then students with 1100 at an inner-city DC school, finding that that the Maret student has a 1.2 higher GPA after their first years even though both graduated as Valedictorians, and then concluding that the issue is the test scores. In reality, UT has an issue with first-generation, low income support and serves a massive population. The data does suggest however that FGLI who enter top colleges Test optional with low scores...end up fine, they graduate consistently at the same rate as everyone else, and the schools have more support for if you struggle in general.[/quote]
Sounds like the UT study is an obtuse way of describing school inequality. I also wonder why the state flagship of Texas would choose a very strange bar (top 6% of the class) to auto-admit students when its presumably a rigorous institution.[/quote]State law. It was originally 10% but UT Austin lobbied to get it down to 6%[/quote]

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