As someone entering their final year of high school, an all too familiar struggle for teenagers all across the country materializes: getting into college. Schools will soon be opening for yet another year across the nation, and as the stressful interlude between one’s high school and college years begins, more realizations are being made about the efficiency of these post-secondary systems.
I may not be one for personal anecdotes, but I would say that I have always fared well in school. I would certainly call myself a “good” student, but one challenge that never ceases to belittle me is standardized testing. Growing up in the United States, students are perpetually taught that tests such as the SAT and ACT dictate their academic intelligence and overall worth, which is not only entirely inaccurate but incredibly harmful to students everywhere.
Something for both students and colleges to keep in mind, however, is the increasingly prevalent choice of going test-optional.
Firstly, the correlation between income and test performance describes the inequity of standardized testing all too well. Studies have shown this simple algorithm: the higher the income, the higher the standardized test scores. This is likely due to the obscene costs that go into purchasing and preparing for these tests. Not only does participating in these tests already costs a substantial amount of money, but the preparation for these tests even more so. Despite some online programs offering test prep free of cost, more sufficient hands on learning with tutors can cost upwards of hundreds of dollars a session.
Tests like the SAT and ACT are notorious for presenting themselves in a particularly perplexing style that often requires familiarity in order to perform well in spite of the tricks put in place to trap test takers. Thus, with taking such tests more than once and desiring hands on practice to improve one’s score, it becomes a matter of funds. Students who are not able to access such resources are then left at a significant disadvantage.
This struggle also disproportionately impacts underrepresented students of color. Studies have shown that by placing less emphasis on standardized tests, colleges were able to have an equally successful yet more diverse student population. This is imperative to marginalized students who have been at a disadvantage regarding educational opportunities for far too long in our country.
Since testing cannot accurately gauge a student’s abilities or general intelligence, and various individuals may exhibit academic achievement that is disenfranchised due to inadequate test scores, the age old debate of the efficiency of standardized testing prolongs itself as to why exactly these tests are so heavily emphasized in our educational systems.
Luckily, more and more colleges in the United States are opting out of using standardized tests are means of admittance. Future college students in the U.S. that believe their standardized test scores do not accurately represent their academic ability should begin to familiarize themselves with such schools, in order to secure a post-secondary education that finds itself increasingly valuable in our society without unnecessary or even unfair obstacles.
