SAT+and+College+Admissions

Directions for posting articles on your group's page:

Post a link to two article/videos/sources you've found that provide interesting, relevant, detailed, and significant evidence about your group's topic. Write a 5-6 sentence paragraph below your link summarizing the key points of the article and also assessing the source's legitimacy. Use the example below as a model

When assessing a source's legitimacy, you want to consider if it is current enough for your topic, if the writer has experiences/education that qualifies him/her as an expert , if the perspective presented is balanced or biased , AND if the article provides relevant/important information.

Example of what you will post for each of the two sources you will contribute to your group: === __NPR story arguing why space exploration is still important--Sybenga__  === []

National Public Radio interviewed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book titled: //Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.// Tyson argues that the idea of space exploration can motivate the best and brightest of future generations to pursue careers in science and math, which will lead to innovations in all fields within science and technology. Because space captures the imagination of the general public, a renewed investment in our space program will cultivate a renewed commitment to the disciplines of science and math. Tyson claims that NASA is severely underfunded, citing the fact that right now, one year of military funding is equal to fifty years of NASA's budget. He also argues that studying problems on other planets (global warming on Venus and the depletion of water on Mars) will help humans to develop creative solutions to similar problems on planet Earth. He also insists that it is imperative to understand the cosmos because Earth is intimately enmeshed in the universe. To illustrate, he notes the relatively small probability of an asteroid crashing into the earth in the next twenty years. Tyson is an expert in the field who recently published a book on the topic, although he takes a strong perspective in favor of the merits of space exploration, without exploring its risks.

=  Please compose your summary and critical review offline, and then cut and paste the text below, as only one person can "EDIT" the page at once. = SAT and College Admissions

Why SAT Scores Are Down—And Why it Matters [] The GOOD is a social infomer magazine that is non-profit and founded by enterpenuer, Ben Goldhirsh and his colleagues. It is recognized as an official news source, considering it's constant collaboration with other professionals on subjects. In this instance the author of the article, Liz Dwyr, is not a teacher, a doctor, or may be authorized to giving a professional opinion concerning children's education or health. However, she writes her opinion on education matters with The University of Pheonix patent to support her. Because The University of Pheonix, which is one of the largest higher education providers in Americais able to support The GOOD, it may be more trustworthy when consulting the issue of the SAT test, than if not. She also provides input from the director of FairTest to asses the legitimacy of the SAT ridgetest to provide another view point. -Bridget Burgos  [|Why Does the SAT Endure?] : Save Your Money [] Featured on the debate page for the discussion on why SATs are still used by colleges, associate professor of psychology, Fred Oswald makes the argument that the test is effective and necessary. He points out that colleges rely on them very much so, that they can narrow down options for student admissions. Though Oswald is not a certified professional in the field of education he has evaluated extensively into the subject of academics, as shown through the link to his web page at Rice University. It is more likely than safe to assume that Oswald has done his research when deciding to construct an opinion about the necessity of the SAT to colleges. -Bridget Burgos

SAT Math Jason Ho [] This particular article was written by an SAT prep instructor specifically regarding the math section. She touches upon the composition of the math section, explaining how it is mainly composed of algebra and geometry. She continues on discussing the certain tips to doing well on a math section in the SAT’s such as realizing that the answer to the question will always be on the page. Finally, she sums up what she thinks of the math section, a test to how well one has prepared his/herself for the test. Written in 2008, this article is not considered outdated and considering that the author is an SAT prep instructor, she may biased towards favoring the value of the SAT in college admissions and student merit. Are SAT's Relevant? Jason Ho [] This article by US News presents itself in a blog-based format considering various sources’ accounts regarding the legitimacy of the SAT test. One account written by a man with the alias John Wurt observes the serious flaws of the SAT. He explains how his son is a star student with many milestones under his belt such as scoring an 800 on math; his son’s main objective then in taking the SAT’s again was to increase his critical reading section. However, John points out that if his son were to disregard the math section of the SAT’s, he would have been counted as cheating and being that the SAT’s weigh so heavily in deciding merit, all of John’s son’s achievements and other merits would be nullified. The other two accounts delving into their perspectives of the SAT’s also move along the same viewpoint noting that SAT’s are not accurate in testing a child’s merit, except not in as much detail. All three accounts were written within the past 3 years and although it is hard to judge the credibility of the authors, it is posted within in a webpage of a national news agency.

= = =__**SAT Offers Level Playing Field in College Admissions process**__= [] Emily Huang This article examines the legitimacy of how SAT plays into college admissions, reviewing how colleges use SAT scores and why the SAT is used. It was posted on iHaveNet.com which seems to be some sort of news website, so it should be a reliable source. Although it was posted in 2009, the information should still be applicable to the current situation of SAT and the college admissions process. It seems to have a slight bias towards using SAT in determining the fate of college bound students, with its title and research backed refutation of a study that SAT is not fair to minors, and talk about how SAT allows excellence and equity.

= Rosemary Roberts: Abolish the SAT =

[] Emily Huang

This article was posted on News & Record in 2007. With a personal anecdote about her experience with the SAT years ago, Roberts is able to express her support of abolishing the SAT. She supports this argument with data from studies and adding onto the ideas of other SAT critics, such as social scientist Charles Murray. It especially brings up the idea of colleges, such as Harvard, looking more at SAT subject scores or grade point average over SAT itself. Lastly, it consistently emphasizes the belief that instead of the “overrated” SAT, subject mastery in English, math, science, history etc. would instead serve as a better indicator life skills.

Do SAT Scores Really Predict Success? [|http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=98373&page=2#.T4L0PPt2TOU] This article evaluates the SAT as an appropriate measure to predict how well students may do in college. It notes that the president of the University of California favors abolishing the SAT requirement for admissions to show that many are unfavorable towards the SAT. The article then uses an analogy to point out that while the SAT is a flawed way to predict the success of a student, it is objective and “sometimes provides a way for the bright, yet socially inept student to be recognized.” The article is a news article from ABC which legitimizes the article, and even though the article was written in 2008, the SAT has not changed much since then so the arguments made are still relevant. -Shabiha Sarwar

=College’s High Cost, Before You Even Apply = [] This article examines the toll that the college admissions process takes upon students. It analyzes the tremendous stress felt by many of the students and has many quotes from high school students about how they felt during and after the admissions process. The article also takes a look at how competitive it is to get into college nowadays, and contains examples of how some schools and colleges are trying to make the process less stressful. This article is written by authors at the New York Times which adds legitimacy to the article. Also, the article was written in 2008 so while the number of people applying for college then and now have changed, the change is probably not enough to affect the legitimacy of the article. -Shabiha Sarwar

College admission officers are allowed to assess the raw work of students []
 * SAT's essays will get long look **

Eleanor Chute of the //Pittsburgh Post-Gazette// writes about the major change that the SAT experienced in 2005 with the addition of the writing section. The article focuses on the essay portion of the writing section, about one-third of the writing section, and its impact on college admissions. As of 2005, colleges will have access to students’ SAT essays despite the unprofessional and handwritten nature of such writing. According to a College Board survey, nearly one-third of college admissions officers said that they would read the SAT essays of all applicants in order to determine freshman English placement. Others, such as Mike Steidel, Carnegie Mellon University’s director of admission officers, had said that they would prefer to read their own essay supplements and use the SAT essay to gauge the English skills of non-native English speakers. Eleanor Chute is the educational editor of the //Pittsburgh Post-Gazette// and has actively investigated education related news on both a local and global scale.

-Hammaad Shah

SAT cheating scandal: Are stakes getting too high for college admission? []

Stacy Teicher Khadaroo of //The Christian Science Monitor// discusses an SAT cheating scandal that took place in Great Neck, New York and its reflection of the extent to which our society values SAT scores. Six students were given misdemeanor charges for paying up to $2,500 for Samuel Eshaghoff to take the SAT in their places. Sally Rubenstone, a senior advisor with College Confidential, notes that the overwhelming pressure to perform well on tests has become so great, with more emphasis being placed on test preparation, that more students would risk the repercussions of cheating. In fact, on CollegeConfidential.com many anonymous students have supplied personal accounts suggesting that cheating on the SAT is more common than the Educational Testing Service is able to determine; it cancels about 1,000 out of 2.3 million tests per year due to cheating. Consequently, the unreliability of standardized test scores has most likely prompted about 865 colleges today to not use the SAT or ACT when determining admission. The author appears to be a reliable and experienced individual having earned a master’s degree at the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia and writing primarily about education for the // Christian Science Monitor // as a staff writer.

-Hammaad Shah

The (Fat) Envelope Please: College Admission Tougher Than Ever
[] This article is explaining how college admissions are getting harder and harder, and with more people applying to college, the admission rates are going down, and the chances of “unhooked white girls” getting in are skim. According to the article, “Unhooked white girls” is a “euphemism for smart girls with really good grades and solid SAT scores, but who lack some special ‘hook’ or positioning – for example, star athlete, concert pianist, first generation to go to college.” The article is written by Steve Cohen, who is the co-author of the best-selling college admissions book __Getting In!__ He is a writer for Forbes magazine, which is where this article was found. He has been writing about college admissions and education for over 25 years. This article was published April 5, 2012, and thus accurately reflects the current situation. This article is balanced, and doesn’t have much bias in it. Steve Cohen brings to light the issue of “well rounded applicants” and proposes how students with SAT scores less than 700 aren’t getting admitted. He accurately describes the problem that current college applicants face, and puts it into perspective so we can understand the magnitude of the problem. -Sandhya Taneja


 * Mere 30-point bump on SAT can pay off big in admissions **

[]

This article was written in 2009, which is still relatively recent seeing as the competition for college admission has just been going on a steady increase. This article basically emphasizes the importance of the SAT to get into college. It explains how 30 points, the difference between a 710 and a 740 can get you into college. 30 points may not seem like a lot – for anyone who’s taken the SAT, knows the curve changes per test and 30 points can be the matter of 3 questions, or 1 question. This article explains that “Yet in the new study, 20% to 40% of officials at 130 colleges that consider the SAT in admissions said a 20-point math increase or a 10-point reading increase would "significantly improve a student's chances of admissions" if all other factors in a student's application were the same.” Author Mary Beth Marklein of USA TODAY explains how selective college admission has become. This is, overall, a balanced article, and poses the important issue of SAT and its impact on college admissions. - Sandhya Taneja

=What’s Good About the New SAT Test=

[]

Andrew SyBing

This is a Time Magazine Article from 2006, so it is fairly reliable, John Cloud is talking about the same SAT students are taking today. Time is a prestigious magazine, so its information is accurate and well thought out. The article looks how the SAT has changed since 1975- It has added algebra 2 math, a writing section, is much longer than the test in 1975, and has gotten rid of analogy questions, which was an area boys usually did much better than girls in. The article also goes through the accuracy which sets apart students from one another, and Cloud states that the new SAT is accurate up to about a forty point range(480 is about the same as 520 and 440). Lastly, Cloud was afraid that the new SAT would hurt the scores of students who came from poor backgrounds, but he finds that their scores actually increased by about thirteen points.

**Abolish The SAT** []

Andrew SyBing

This is an article from 2007 by a Harvard graduate, Charles Murray, so this article is very legitimate. In Murrays’s gargantuan article, he lists three major reasons why the SAT should be abolished. One, it is a bad indicator of freshman college grades, and GPA and “achievement tests” (SAT II) can more accurately determine them. Second, upper class students can simply pay their way to a good score, while poor students are left in the dust. Lastly, he argues that the SAT does not display enough achievement in a student, such as extracurricular activities and sports. Murray is extremely against the SAT, regardless his information is accurate and should not be overlooked.

= Inside the College-Admissions Process = http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1917671,00.html In this article, Gilbert Cruz asks David L. Marcus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, questions about his book, //Acceptance//, which depicts the story of a high-school guidance counselor helping juniors and seniors apply to college, and his thoughts about applying to college in today’s tough economic times. Marcus first exclaims that the competition for getting into college today is incredibly tough, as graduation classes become larger and grades continue to rise nationwide. Also, Marcus, having worked for U.S News and World Report in the past (substantiating his credibility), believes that it doesn’t matter which school a student gets into, but rather it matters what that student does once at college that decides whether or no they are successful throughout the rest of their lives. Also, Marcus suggests that colleges force students to take a “gap” year after high school in order to give them more them to earn money for college. This source is reliable because it is from 2009, which means its information is relatively recent, and is balanced (not biased towards one side of the argument). -David Levine

=A Good Intelligence Test = http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/12/04/why-should-sats-matter/the-sat-is-a-good-intelligence-test In this article, by David Z. Hambrick, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University who researches differences in cognitive abilities and complex skills, the author argues why the SAT does effectively predict how well high school students will perform in college. This article is reliable because it is not only recent (published in December 2011) but also because it is from a credible professor who specifically studies how different factors can influence and predict human cognitive abilities. However, this article is biased, as Hambrick is extremely partial towards the SAT over other aptitude tests. Hambrick argues that the SAT is a good indicator of college success because it encompasses many different skills that students may need in college, and often corresponds with college grade point averages and even lifetime achievements. Also, Hambrick argues that the SAT “works” because it is very similar to general IQ tests, as SAT scores are difficult to improve through training. -David Levine

SATs Do Not Take the Full Measure of a High School Student [] This article, by Jill Tiefenthaler (a professor at North Carolina’s Wake Forest University), reveals how colleges have shifted their ideals “ away from things we value.” The SAT’s were not created in order to measure intelligence, but they have “encouraged an industry of test training” which affects scores because they improve with repetition and practice. The author also explains that even though there is some correlation between SAT scores and college success, high school grades are still the better predictors of college success. Furthermore, Teifenthaler emphasizes the fact that if a school was serious about individual students and the relationships that they form with their peers and professors, then the college admission process should be more focused on “personal interviews, reflective essays, letters of recommendation, and a thorough examination of high school curriculum and grades” because they reveal more than an SAT score. -Sharon Chiang

SAT scores show disparities by race, gender, family income [] In this article from USA TODAY, Mary Beth Marklein analyzes the scores amongst different groups divided by race, gender, and family income. Although the College Board president, Gaston Caperton, says that "more than ever, the SAT reflects the diversity of students in our nation's classrooms,” there are widening gaps in scores and diversity, showing the faults in the nation’s capability of utilizing the billions of dollars it has in closing these gaps. In the article, Marklein states specific statistics in the dropping scores amongst the two genders, different ethnicity groups (such as Asian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and White students), and income groups. Even though Caperton is pleased with the diversity, he says that since not all students have the same access to programs, "as a country we must do better at providing students of every background equal access to education, equal access to the best teachers, and equal access to the best counseling," -Sharon Chiang

=The Answer Sheet: What Does the SAT Test?= [|__http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/13/AR2009091302546.ht__] This is an interview with Edward Carrol, an SAT analyst, who has taken every SAT test for the last 38 years. Throughout the interview, Carrol maintains a neutral disposition towards the SAT test, as well as colleges use of the test to judge student ability. Carrol says that while the SAT test does not necessarily indicate a student's verbal and mathematical skills, it does measure students ability to work under pressure. -Nick Chung

=Views of Authority on Intelligence and Testing = =[]= This article from PBS is also an interview, asking question from professors from a variety of colleges. The article gives a brief background of the history of the SAT test. The test was designed to test a person's IQ. However, most of the interviewees agree that the SAT test is not a good test for IQ. instead, the SAT indicates a the testee’s verbal and mathematical reasoning skills. While, different professors have different opinions concerning the usefulness of the SAT test, most agree that it is one of the only ways to compare students learning aptitude. -Nick Chung

FIXES; More Than SAT Scores __//http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E1D7143EF93AA25751C0A9649D8B63&ref=satcollegeadmissiontest//__ This article talks about the how SAT scores are not necessarily a good predictor for the successfulness of a student within college and also talks about the Posse Foundation. This foundation takes people/students who have good grades but not so great SAT scores and gives them a chance to get into top level colleges. These people will compete with thousands of other students and only 600 are accepted each year in the whole United States. However these select few that would have otherwise been rejected enroll in these elite schools and ninety percent of them graduate. The point behind this article is that SAT scores do not factor in peoples will to succeed or determination, it is more geared toward who had the best test preparation, or best ability to ace the test not necessarily the most qualified. I trusted this article as a source because it came from the New York Times a well respected newspaper. By- Mathew Saunders

__//http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2008/10/by_peter_salins_one_of.html//__ This article talks about how SAT scores actually are an accurate predictor for College Success. Based on a study that was done at State University of New York higher SAT scores did help predict graduation rates and the classes with higher SAT scores tended to graduate in higher numbers than those with lower SAT scores. However only those who had large gains in SAT scores experienced significant gains in graduation rates. So while it does show that the SAT test does somewhat predict college success this study does not fully account for all factors. For example the study was a bit lopsided because it did not talk about the grades that the students received in high school and so by taking students with higher SAT scores they could have also been taking students with better grades which would make SAT scores not really the only indication of success. I trusted this article because it listed its writers and editors in the about us page and looking at it they all have some type of credentials being associated with colleges and newspapers. While there is possibly some bias in the article since the main writer was a provost for SUNY but his study is backed up by facts so I deemed it okay. By- Mathew Saunders
 * Does The SAT Predict College Success?**