SATs

As 431,000 California students in 2019 took their SAT tests in order to fulfill their college application requirements, the actual use of the SAT and similar ACT tests were criticized throughout the year. These entrance exams were scrutinized by multiple UC regents and leaders, while their expansion in California schools were rejected by the California government. The UC system was also threatened by lawsuits from the Compton Unified School District for the unfair disadvantages lesser privileged students faced on the tests.

As the Career Center Specialist, Cecilia Adams assists students with affairs beyond high school, including SAT and ACT tests. Adams believes that these tests have strayed from their intended purpose.

“SAT was originated by California UC system to determine whether a student can handle college by having this extra test be a part of their application process. Unfortunately, what happened over time is that not only has it become an economic disparity, but it’s also become a systematic disparity too,” Adams said.

Future Academy leader Brian Fredin delves into the education system, and also goes over the flaws of many colleges and overall academic functions in his Introduction to Education class. One of the flaws Fredin teaches is how a student’s financial status can affect what academic advantages they have.

“SAT scores are really a reflection of how much money your family makes. The higher income students score on average higher on an ACT or an SAT, which suggests there is bias on the test,” Fredin said.

A 2013 study conducted by three university professors titled Race, Poverty, and SAT Scores saw that higher income students gained on average higher scores than lowincome students, and this disparity doubles when compared to low-income minority students. SAT have tried solving these problems through the failed implementation of an adversity score and have claimed to change the structure of the test to deter any discriminatory practices.

Other than the accuracy of these tests, the primary functions of the test scores are argued to be outdated. More high school students are now pursuing higher academic classes along with their regular classes in order to appeal to more colleges.

AHS currently offers 15 AP classes and other concurrent enrollment classes on campus. Students are also encouraged by the counselor’s office to take college courses over the summer.

“The other reason SAT was initially put out there was to assess [a] student’s academic success in a college setting, but what we’re seeing today is that students are already taking college courses at a high school level. So is it necessary that they have to prove to the university that they can handle a college course again?” Adams said.

As the fate of these tests may seem weary, the alternatives that may replace them might be something academics are already familiar with.

“Your GPA is a better predictor [of college success], so [for] students who have a very good GPA but their SAT scores are not as high, they might have a better chance of going to college,” Fredin said.

Fredin referred to a recent study from the University of Chicago, which studied the relationships between GPAs, standardized test scores, and college graduation rates. What the study found was that GPAs had a stronger relationship with college graduation through all schools while test scores had a weaker connection and varied depending on the school.

More and more colleges across the country are starting to drop the standardized test scores from their admissions process and started to rely on other features to determine a student’s acceptance. Many argue that with the nearly 200,000 students that apply to the UC system each year, UC needs to start investing in a more comprehensive and fair process.

“You can look at personal statements, you can look at letters of recommendation...If you really wanna know what kind of students you’re getting, you look at their GPA, and you allow them to write essays and have letters of recommendation—they don’t do that right now because they have to filter as many kids through the process,” Fredin said.

The UC Board set up their own research panel to investigate the claims against the tests last year, and came to a conclusion earlier this month. The panel claimed to not have found substantial evidence against the tests and recommended to keep the entrance exams until the UC system could create their own tests, which is estimated to take up to nine years. The UC Board has set up a deadline for their final decision on the tests by May. • SAT Tests Under Criticism UC utilization of standardized test in applications are under fire. By Sebastian Lopez

UC Academic Senate forms Standardized Testing Task Force (STTF) to investigate use of standardized tests in application processes. ACR-64 was passed by the California Senate in September proposing support of this committee. Jan. 2019 Oct. 2019 Governor Newsom of California vetoes law allowing schools to allow SAT/ACT tests to measure 11th grade federal testing requirements. Newsom cited racial and economic inequalities in his decision. Oct. 2019 Compton Unified School District amongst other student advocacy groups near Los Angeles threaten to sue UC System if use of standardized tests if applications continue. Dec. 2019 Feb. 2020 UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ voiced support for discarding standardized tests in application processes. UC Provost Michael Brown and UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive voiced the same support. STTF reports to the UC Senate that their study found that standardized test scores were not the biggest factor in racial underrepresentation in UC Campuses. STTF recommends UC create their own entrance test as replacement.