College Admissions And The SAT: A Personal Perspective

Abstract

College Admissions and the SAT: A Personal Perspective April 2004 My intent in this paper is to offer a personal perspective on the events that led to a major change in the college admissions test known as the SAT. The new test will be in place for all stu- dents—nationwide—who must take the SAT as part of the ad- missions process for the college class entering in the fall of 2006. Hopefully, this account will be useful to those trying to change policies and practices deeply entrenched in our society. Before I begin, let me introduce some terminology. By the term standardized test, I mean simply a test administered under controlled conditions and carefully monitored to prevent cheat- ing. I will also use the terms aptitude test and achievement test. Achievement tests are designed to measure mastery of a spe- cific subject. In contrast, aptitude tests are designed to predict an individual’s ability to profit from a particular type of training or instruction. For example, an algebra test given at the end of