Anonymous
02/22/2021 20:52
Subject: If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Test scores and GPA are idiotic, but inexpensive and inexact.
For God's sake, Ted Cruz went to Princeton! Surely he had good tests scores and grades but he's a thoroughly despicable humanoid thing, a lump of cells with a brain attached, but no values, compassion, empathy, spine or moral compass.
If human value were judged appropriately, tests scores and grades would mean nothing at all.
But of course, who has time to do all those written evaluations, and who has time to read them all, and judge the motivations of the writers?
The SAT is idiotic. My older kid took it three times and got a nearly perfect score (missed one question) on the math section the third time she took it. The first time she took it, she barely broke 600 (I can't remember her exact scores).
How can that mean anything? Nearly 200 points separated her first and last score. Is she an idiot at math or a genius? You couldn't know if you only looked at her first score, but you'd assume she leans toward idiot.
To answer OP: Of course test scores won't go away! They are "optional" whatever that means. Kids who get good scores will submit them, and those kids will likely have an edge over the other kids who don't submit them.
It's easier, simpler and cheaper that way.
For God's sake, Ted Cruz went to Princeton! Surely he had good tests scores and grades but he's a thoroughly despicable humanoid thing, a lump of cells with a brain attached, but no values, compassion, empathy, spine or moral compass.
If human value were judged appropriately, tests scores and grades would mean nothing at all.
But of course, who has time to do all those written evaluations, and who has time to read them all, and judge the motivations of the writers?
The SAT is idiotic. My older kid took it three times and got a nearly perfect score (missed one question) on the math section the third time she took it. The first time she took it, she barely broke 600 (I can't remember her exact scores).
How can that mean anything? Nearly 200 points separated her first and last score. Is she an idiot at math or a genius? You couldn't know if you only looked at her first score, but you'd assume she leans toward idiot.
To answer OP: Of course test scores won't go away! They are "optional" whatever that means. Kids who get good scores will submit them, and those kids will likely have an edge over the other kids who don't submit them.
It's easier, simpler and cheaper that way.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 20:44
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Test scores don’t tell schools much. I hope they go away.
GPA does tell a ton no matter how rigorous your school is.
Let me guess, your kid has a 4.3 GPA and can’t break 31 on the ACT or 1400 in the SAT. LOL
Wow. Aren’t you a charmer. I’d be thrilled if my kid hit a 31 or 1400.
DP
You miss the point. GPAs in public schools are so inflated by weighted classes that the SAT/ACT tests helps differentiate. Low test score kids with jacked up, inflated GPAs love test optional because it makes them look competitive for top 20 colleges even though they wouldn’t have a chance in a normal year. Shhhhh
Not just public schools.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 20:29
Subject: If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:The “standardized tests” are anything but standardized anyway. Everyone knows that. It is farcical to compare test scores from a kid who has had 20 hours of private test instruction, taken 6 practice exams and then sat the test 3 times, with a kid who took 3 in school 45 minute sessions and sat the test once when it was given for free.
What the pandemic has done is show that colleges do not need standardized tests at all.
I don't think that is how schools feel about it actually. They are overwhelmed with Hail Mary applicants who would have been weeded out with test scores.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 09:50
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
My kids and I (35 years ago) both have friends who were excellent, smart and hard working students and did not score well on the SAT test.
Your statement about rigor in courses being evaluated by correlating standardized test scores only has merit if you evaluate the student body on the whole that way - meaning if the average act score is 32 of the students at the high school who have 4.5 gpa’s. Even then, there is a lot of bias in standardized testing and schools with student bodies where parents are wealthy and colleged educated are going to score better. That doesn’t mean the 4.5 gpa’s there were earned via more rigorous classes.
Your statement about rigor in courses being evaluated by correlating standardized test scores only has merit if you evaluate the student body on the whole that way - meaning if the average act score is 32 of the students at the high school who have 4.5 gpa’s. Even then, there is a lot of bias in standardized testing and schools with student bodies where parents are wealthy and colleged educated are going to score better. That doesn’t mean the 4.5 gpa’s there were earned via more rigorous classes.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 09:47
Subject: If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
% admitted/selectivity
This is an equitable proxy, assuming application fees are on par across the board.
This is an equitable proxy, assuming application fees are on par across the board.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 09:44
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Test scores don’t tell schools much. I hope they go away.
GPA does tell a ton no matter how rigorous your school is.
Let me guess, your kid has a 4.3 GPA and can’t break 31 on the ACT or 1400 in the SAT. LOL
Wow. Aren’t you a charmer. I’d be thrilled if my kid hit a 31 or 1400.
DP
You miss the point. GPAs in public schools are so inflated by weighted classes that the SAT/ACT tests helps differentiate. Low test score kids with jacked up, inflated GPAs love test optional because it makes them look competitive for top 20 colleges even though they wouldn’t have a chance in a normal year. Shhhhh
Are you the same poster who keeps insisting public schools inflate GPAs? If so, please stop. My kid attends a highly ranked FCPS HS and is working her butt off for the few As she gets. You sound like an insecure private school parent.
Right, but if the rigor is there then the ACT/SAT scores should match the GPA. Understand? No 4.4 GPA kid should be struggling to get a 32 on the ACT. Just saying.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 00:41
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Test scores don’t tell schools much. I hope they go away.
GPA does tell a ton no matter how rigorous your school is.
Let me guess, your kid has a 4.3 GPA and can’t break 31 on the ACT or 1400 in the SAT. LOL
Wow. Aren’t you a charmer. I’d be thrilled if my kid hit a 31 or 1400.
DP
You miss the point. GPAs in public schools are so inflated by weighted classes that the SAT/ACT tests helps differentiate. Low test score kids with jacked up, inflated GPAs love test optional because it makes them look competitive for top 20 colleges even though they wouldn’t have a chance in a normal year. Shhhhh
Are you the same poster who keeps insisting public schools inflate GPAs? If so, please stop. My kid attends a highly ranked FCPS HS and is working her butt off for the few As she gets. You sound like an insecure private school parent.
Anonymous
02/21/2021 23:19
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Test scores don’t tell schools much. I hope they go away.
GPA does tell a ton no matter how rigorous your school is.
Let me guess, your kid has a 4.3 GPA and can’t break 31 on the ACT or 1400 in the SAT. LOL
Wow. Aren’t you a charmer. I’d be thrilled if my kid hit a 31 or 1400.
DP
You miss the point. GPAs in public schools are so inflated by weighted classes that the SAT/ACT tests helps differentiate. Low test score kids with jacked up, inflated GPAs love test optional because it makes them look competitive for top 20 colleges even though they wouldn’t have a chance in a normal year. Shhhhh
Anonymous
02/21/2021 22:21
Subject: If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:The “standardized tests” are anything but standardized anyway. Everyone knows that. It is farcical to compare test scores from a kid who has had 20 hours of private test instruction, taken 6 practice exams and then sat the test 3 times, with a kid who took 3 in school 45 minute sessions and sat the test once when it was given for free.
What the pandemic has done is show that colleges do not need standardized tests at all.
I agree with you; however, the only truly fair thing to do - given that the above scenario is commonplace - is to stop accepting test scores at all.
Anonymous
02/21/2021 22:12
Subject: Re:If all testing goes away, how will students know where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Test scores don’t tell schools much. I hope they go away.
GPA does tell a ton no matter how rigorous your school is.
Let me guess, your kid has a 4.3 GPA and can’t break 31 on the ACT or 1400 in the SAT. LOL
Wow. Aren’t you a charmer. I’d be thrilled if my kid hit a 31 or 1400.
DP