The Fairness of College Entrance Exams I. SAT and ACT: majo

The Fairness of College Entrance Exams
   I’m Anne Ball. Today we will talk about the fairness of college entrance exams. The SAT and ACT are the two major college entrance tests in the United States. For years, colleges have used these tests to help measure an applicant’s academic skills.
   But a growing number of American universities are dropping the entrance exam requirement. More than 800 universities now allow students to apply without an SAT or ACT test score. More universities are becoming "test optional." Students who apply to test-optional schools can choose whether they want to include test scores in their applications. Each of America’s more than 3,000 colleges and universities has its own admission requirements. At some colleges, test scores are very important. Others are more interested in an applicant’s life experience, teacher recommendations, community services, and talents.
   High school GPA, or grade point average, is another way to judge a student’s ability. A GPA of 3.5 or higher (on scale from 0 to 4)is considered good. For international applicants, universities have specialists review the academic standards of different countries and convert them to GPA equivalents.
   Jennifer Tkacz is the Director of International Admissions at George Mason University. It is the largest test-optional university in the United States. She explains why the school went test-optional in 2006. "The university administration felt that for many students, their test scores aren’t necessarily a reflection of their academic strength and the GPA is a much better indicator." Ms. Tkacz says high school performance says more about a student’s potential than a test score.
   Cheryl O’Brien owns a test preparation company in New York. She says wealthy students have a major advantage on college entrance tests. They can spend months or even years preparing for the test with private teachers. But self-study, even for highly motivated students, is not the same. Ms. O’Brien explains: "It’s never going to be as good as working with somebody when you can have feedback. Books don’t talk back to you. Books don’t explain to you what’s going on and how to understand something." A 2010 study in the Harvard Educational Review argued that the SAT used vocabulary that was more familiar to white test takers. The study said that the SAT "appears to be biased against the African-American minority group."
   Ryan Lessing is a student at Brown University, a highly selective school that requires a test score. He says the SAT is not perfect, but it serves an important purpose. "What the SATs provide is a relatively neutral benchmark... The rigor of coursework is not the same across schools. The activities available are not the same across schools... The SAT provides some benchmark, which is at least relatively consistent among applicants." Mr. Lessing says the SAT is not the cause of educational inequality. He says the difference in test scores just reflects the deep inequality in American society.