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Ibram X Kendi has an excellent book, "Stamped from the Beginning" that does a great job of explaining how SAT and ACT tests were really only ever meaningful as
by nimbius 6y ago
Ibram X Kendi has an excellent book, "Stamped from the Beginning" that does a great job of explaining how SAT and ACT tests were really only ever meaningful as a barrier to class mobility for blacks in the United states. in the 21st century it does the same thing. By keeping test prep out of public school and forcing takers to invest up to a thousand dollars on a classroom instruction for the test (which often promises an increase up to 200 points) it remains a disadvantage to latinx and black minorities who are generally poorer.
'Test prep' is also less about what you learn, and more about the finesse or 'form' required to take the test. Much the same as a power lifter lifts greater weight due to ther superior form, those whove attended test prep complete the SAT and ACT with a higher score because of superior test taking 'form.'
- harryh 6y agoSAT test prep has a very small impact on scores. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/after-service/201903/5-seriously-stunning-facts-about-higher-education-in-america https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/after-service/201903...
- kasey_junk 6y agoIt’s likely more a marker about having caretakers who understand how to navigate the process than any actual explicit improvement. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/10/04/new-papers-find-persistent-barriers-aid-low-income-students-despite-federal-policy https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/10/04/new-papers-fi... FAFSA which isn’t even meant to be a filter is a barrier to entry for students without resources who understand the process and can guide them through it.
- spekcular 6y agoI'm not sure this take comports with the facts. Test prep materials are readily available at most public libraries, and even professional prep courses produce marginal gains (smaller than the test-retest measurement error). The claim that rich white people are leveraging their wealth to buy a secret "one weird trick" that instantly boosts their scores is simply false. I am happy to provide citations if you're interested.
- anon102010 6y agoThe idea that wealth won't buy other methods of access, now with no embarrassingly low test score - is hard to beleive. The rich private school WILL give donor kids X all A's. At least in the past the SAT score filtered out the super lazy donor brats.
- azinman2 6y agoPersonally, I gained about 200 points after having a tutor for SATs in high school. I don't know that I would have studied as well/hard without it. For me, the SATs/SAT IIs didn't test what was a meaningful way to assess my strengths in the first place: analytic reasoning & creativity. That only partially came across in my extra ciriculars since primary education is largely memorization without understanding.