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Teaching Teens: The SAT's - A Fair Fight?

College is the aspiration of thousands of young adults everywhere. In today's modern society, you cannot typically excel in life without it. To some degree, students want to see themselves in a better place one day. Many parents come down harshly on their children to do well and achieve. Do admitting average or mediocre students debase American higher education? I strongly believe it does not. It has already been debased, by other factors.

You ask yourself, "What makes a average/mediocre student?" Is it the low grades, SAT scores, environment or social behavior? What makes a student fail? There are many factors involved, many which would take a lot of in-depth research. I'll concentrate on the areas I just brought up.

The SAT is a poor tool to determine collegiate eligibility. Today, the SAT is still used to debase American higher learning. From countless conversations, and personal experience, I do not believe the SAT should be used as a dividing tool in selection. The SAT is biased and misused entirely.

I have also read over many articles that exclaim the SAT is severely flawed, and too unreliable. You cannot tell me that public schools stimulate enough interest or ethics to prepare today's students for the SAT. I, being the product of public schooling, do not believe my high school faculty mentally prepared my fellow classmates and I for the SAT.

I remember my first attempts at the SAT. I was reading through a test pamphlet of certain words that I had hardly ever heard used in the common English vocabulary. I was also looking at math equations that were never hinted on, or stressed on for that matter. To further comment on the math portion of the SAT, a graphic calculator is barred from use, but used as a constant crutch in today's schooling. Of course with the proper "coaching" techniques, including expensive books and videos, one may have an edge with the SAT's unpredictable questions.

How can this test be called "standardized" when certain students may have an edge over the students who could not afford the expensive training methods? This brings up the problem of extortion, used by the SAT's and it's affiliates.

The SAT is a biased and misused entirely. The option of integrating your SATS scores into your academic portfolio could easily eradicate the problem. Those students who feel their SAT scores correctly present their academic skills can include them, and they who feel the latter, may not.

Many colleges are now not using SAT scores for a majority of academic decisions like Allen University of Columbia, SC and American Academy of Art of Chicago, IL just to name a few. These colleges rely on a combination of grades, recommendations, and a portfolio/special project.

The SAT's - A Fair Fight: Part II