The Evolution
In this time, applicants to the first American colleges were commonly screened based on character, family background, knowledge of Latin and Greek, and mathematical competence?
What are the 17th and 18th centuries?
Stuart Schmill, MIT's Dean of Admissions, believes [...] help predict student success and assess academic preparation.
What are standardized test scores?
This New York college introduced an alternative admission process focusing on research papers and academic readiness.
What is Bard College?
The SATs, as originally intended, contributed to the rise of this in America, particularly in the field of higher education.
What is the meritocracy?
In 1926, the first SAT was administered to standardize admissions requirements. What was the SAT originally called?
What is the Scholastic Aptitude Test?
Critics argue that removing this requirement could leave American students unprepared for college.
What is the SAT/ACT requirement?
At Bard College, students must write how many words in total through four research papers to gain admission?
What is 10,000 words?
(2500 words per paper)
According to Stuart Schmill, Dean of Admissions at MIT, standardized tests can be crucial in identifying these students who are academically prepared for college.
Who are socioeconomically disadvantaged students?
In the mid-20th century, most colleges began standardizing admissions requirements, evaluating applicants based on five factors. Name two out five.
What are past coursework in several subjects, high school class rank, recommendation from school administrators, an interview, and, for some schools, SAT scores?
George Bush's entrance to Yale, thanks to his family connections, contrasts with his brother Jeb, who went to the University of Texas after SAT-based admissions were embraced by Yale, demonstrating this impact of SATs.
What is leveling the playing field for students from different backgrounds?
The new SATs will now include a compulsory essay, placing more emphasis on this aspect of a student's abilities.
What are writing skills?
The old SATs have always been criticized for the unfairness toward [...] people and [...]?
What are poorer people and minorities?
As colleges and universities multiplied in the 19th century, admissions committees began requiring applicants to demonstrate familiarity with a variety of subjects, including these three.
What are history, English, and foreign languages?
Research at UC's Riverside campus suggests that these scores are a better predictor of college success than standardized test scores, especially for underrepresented minority students.
What are high school grades?
This Ivy League economist argues that removing SAT requirements will not harm minority students or undermine their work ethic.
Who is Zachary Bleemer?
The architects of the SAT, James Bryant Conant and Henry Chauncey, designed the test to discern this element, rather than people's acquired polish.
What are raw ability or real intellectual potential?
According to critics, the real scandal in academic selection in America is not the presumed failure of standardized tests but this increasing trend among universities.
What is considering factors other than test scores when admitting applicants?
(e.g. admitting star athletes, giving a “slight advantage” to the children of alumni or professors)
The new SATs place more emphasis on classroom-based learning and include elements like reading comprehension and algebra, shifting away from their original purpose as a measure of this.
What is raw ability?
Bard College believes the fundamental goal of rewarding the best candidates should be based on their ability to [...], rather than their marketing skills or test scores.
What is their ability to engage in university-level work?
Larry Su, an English professor, predicts that removing SAT requirements could send this wrong message about these two educational values.
What is a message that American institutions of learning do not value hard work and personal accountability?