10/10 Draft

All across the country rising juniors and seniors in high school are preparing to take standardized testing that will shape the future of their academic careers. In 2015, an overwhelming “1.7 million students took the SAT” and trends indicate that this number will only rise in the years to come. Standardized testing, such as the SAT or ACT placement test, plays an essential role in college applications and its grip on the process is only being reinforced through the mass amounts of students taking part in these exams. These standardized tests do provide some information that are helpful to colleges and students in various ways, however the numbers that are being used to judge students academic capabilities are illegitimate. Students’ futures should not be determined based off of existential numbers gathered through one test session. They represent subjective numbers gathered during a time of extreme pressure and are not reflective of the different variables that effect the performance of the student.nAmong the many juicy topics of today’s society, SAT and ACT scores should not be ignored since essentially shape the society of the future. If these scores are enabling access to higher education to certain groups of people, then as a society, we should all care about this process. Standardized testing scores should not play such a critical role in the college application due to their inconsistency to evaluate students potential.

Amidst the chaos that is the 2016 presidential election, questions about domestic policy has been raised in regards to underprivileged and struggling communities. The SAT and ACT are supposed to provide an equal playing field so to speak, for all students to compare themselves against national averages and entice academic institutions to accept them. However, there are many communities within America that do not have access to the same preparation for these standardized tests other privileges towns have. This fact should strike a cord with all Americans who value creating equal education throughout the nation.

A common misconception about the SAT and ACT is that they pose questions based on topics that have been taught to students through the education system. Sadly, there are schools and student that fall into the cracks and are not able to teach all students the needed topics to compete in the competitive standardized testing culture. This reveals the shocking fact that “not knowing the material on the test that would determine future college enrollment.” Students that are left behind in the public educational system then are penalized in the future when these standardized tests fail to recognize that schools cannot be equally compared.

The natural inclination to being denied this information through schools would be to search out a tutor or take matters into your own hands by “buying a practice book and prepare for the test.” Although the thought of persevering and studying by yourself is a very encouraging and optimistic notion, it is not a feasible one. Students who come from families that are struggling financially would not have the ability to pay for a private tutor or possibility even buy the study book that is offered. It is reasonable to draw the conclusion that “the test gave an advantage to students with access to better schools and extensive test prep” because it is only reflective of students economic status since students who excel have prepared for the test in some way which is an indication of their privilege.