ACT and SAT: Why they matter and how they don’t.
An observation from someone who teaches the test.
I recently happened upon an interesting article published over at NPR. It concerned a recent study about the merits of ACT and SAT scores and their ability to predict success in college.
Well, I have been teaching ACT Prep at a local high school for a little while now. And while I am no means a certified authority, I have learned a great deal about the exam and what it boils down to.
First and foremost, I don’t believe in standardized testing. Funny, I know, considering I teach it for a living. And I will be the first to admit that in my class, we teach the test and nothing more. I do not teach them mathematics, though we cover math. I don’t teach science, reading, english or writing… I teach my kids how to tackle these subjects IN the context of the ACT.
When I first started doing this job I would have admitted to not being so thrilled about what I was doing. I felt the class lacked merit and didn’t see what it provided. As I said, I’ve always been anti-test. But I needed honest work, so I soldiered on and it didn’t take me very long to see the value in what I was doing. Here’s what I have learned:
1.The ACT and SAT only prove how well these kids take the test. — First of all, these tests should never be used as predictors for success in college. In my opinion, it’s a silly premise to base something so nebulous on. College (for those of us who remain ‘on time’) is a long process that takes an average student anywhere from 3 to 4 years to complete. A lot can happen in 4 years and many of these things will affect students; some good and some bad. Expecting some silly 4 hour test they took one Saturday morning to predict how well they do in a totally different environment while they are still maturing emotionally, physically and mentally is absurd.
These tests are great at proving one thing, and they do it time and time again. They prove how well a certain student can perform on the ACT or SAT. And that’s about it. They do not predict a student’s level of intelligence.
2. Standardized tests should be done away with; they’re fundamentally flawed. — The interesting thing about these tests is, if you dig a little deeper, usually those who have some kind of prep (like my class) or extra tutoring tend to do slightly better than un-prepped students. For example, an article from the Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124278685697537839
Furthermore, those from certain economic or cultural backgrounds also tend to perform better. And this leads to one very American monster: capitalism. For-profit test companies are here to cater to this need and I will admit, it’s a desperate one for many schools and parents. I have been lucky enough to work in a school district that has contracted my company to provide test prep to their students. So, my class is offered free of charge to unwilling students who are begrudgingly inserted into my class. And to sweeten the pot further, those students who live in low-income households are allowed fee waivers to essentially take the tests for free.
Now that’s fine and dandy, but this is not the norm. The norm is this: you pay up, you do a bit better. In most cases, no correlation has been shown between test prep and improvements in scores. However, I myself have seen benefits. Though fundamentally, I believe test-taking abilities are a much deeper issue than mere prep can tackle. Anyway, this moves me nicely into my third point.
3. Testing is a vital, necessary evil. — Speak to any teacher and they will tell you how they are drowning in test-prep-centered curriculums. Their hands are bound by a rigid educational system that believes in not leaving any child behind….. by brutally dragging them behind a speeding truck through a minefield. And don’t even get me started on modified tests like the STAAR exam for special-education students here in Texas; it’s a complete nightmare.
One thing I tell my students, and I hope it’s something they take to heart, is that in life there are many things we must do because we simply have to. Life isn’t easy and nothing worth earning is simply given to you. Sometimes this means we have to suck it up and do what we need to do in order to get where we want to be. And at this current stage in their lives, if they want to make it into a special school, well they’re going to have to pay the Troll his toll. And this troll likes test scores.
Testing in the United States is as American as apple pie. Sadly, these kids are accustom to being poked and prodded by standardized tests for as long as they can remember hoisting a pencil between their fingers.
4. This is when I saw the value in what I do. Test prep is necessary in light of our current system. — Though the NPR article is hinting that the trend is changing quickly with more and more colleges and universities dropping test score requirements, the reality is these tests are still front and center in the modern American high school system. Though this might put me out of a job, I welcome it. The NPR piece is absolutely right, these tests do nothing beyond getting kids past those pearly gates at the university. Nevertheless, is that really such a bad thing? In many cases, these scores are used as a tie-breaker of sorts to admit those who performed slightly better than someone else with similar prospects when it gets tight. Not to mention certain scholarship benefits, for example the PSAT and its National Merit Scholarship award tons of kids who do well on a PRE SAT. As an instructor, I have first-hand experience with kids who have been immensely rewarded by performing well on these exams.
However, the best thing YOU can do for your child is give them any advantage you can afford. And I would advise against selling a kidney on the blackmarket to afford special coaching outside the classroom. That is unless, you can afford the luxury.
If your child is fortunate enough to attend a school where ACT or SAT prep is given as an elective, I would recommend they give it a shot. And make a trip to the book store to get a test-prep book; it won’t hurt. I do believe if they commit and do the work (and have a good teacher with a good program) their scores can improve; I have seen it and done it myself.
Furthermore, test prep should be taught in our schools to high school juniors and seniors who are prepping to move into the next stage of their educational careers. This is a service that high schools seem to be catching onto and it’s a good sign, because like it or not, the ACT and SAT are here to stay for a while longer.
The best thing we can do as a society is make do with what we’ve got till something changes. I have learned that some kids are just natural test-takers; it’s a skill some have honed and others have not. I have had students walk into my class and knock it out of the park on day one. Those students don’t need me. But others do and many have benefited greatly from what I taught them.
As a parting note, I’d liked to say that we should encourage our young’uns to aspire for great things and to keep their eyes open towards all kinds of opportunities. If YOU are in high school, don’t just aim to get into the same old state school as everyone else, be different, explore other opportunities and expand your search. Forge new paths and make your college career uniquely yours. It’s a big world out there and there are many places that would love to have you if you opened your eyes and broadened your horizons.
If you suck at the ACT or SAT, don’t sweat it. Albert Einstein failed math or something in school.. or at least that’s how the anecdote is supposed to go…. Don’t define yourself by four hours you wasted one Saturday morning taking a test nobody wanted to take in the first place.
*All images pulled from Google.
