High School Grades and SAT: Still Best Predictor of College Success, Study Says
Changes made to the SAT—mainly a writing section added in 2005—"did not substantially change how well the test predicts first-year college performance." That was one of the key findings contained in a study released this week by the College Board, which owns the SAT. The study says high school grades continue to be a slightly more accurate predictor of college success than SAT scores. If there was reason to be disappointed by those findings, College Board officials did not give any hint while announcing them to reporters. Laurence Bunin, who serves as the general manager of the SAT program, said the SAT is still the most reliable test "in an era when grade inflation at the high school level is a major problem." He strongly urges colleges to continue to use both high school grades and SAT scores to evaluate applicants. According to the research, grades and SAT scores—used together—are the best predictor of college success.
The College Board added the writing portion and made other changes to the math and reading sections of the SAT three years ago. At the time, critics complained that the verbal and math SAT was biased against certain groups and not a reliable measure of academic performance. The revamped SAT appeased some critics, like the University of California system, which had threatened to stop requiring the test. Others remained skeptical, choosing not to put too much emphasis on the SAT writing score. It's still too early to say how the new research from the College Board will alter the admissions landscape. Before the findings were officially released, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, a nonprofit group in Cambridge, Mass., critical of standardized testing, issued a statement saying the changes to the SAT were "not a serious attempt to improve the test" and would not stop colleges from making the test an optional requirement for admission.
College Board officials said they are pleased with the changes they made and have no immediate plans to make any more changes to the SAT as a result of their research.
Tags: students | SAT | College Board
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Reader Comments
SAT Writing test
From the study: The increment in validity of the writing section over the critical reading and mathematics sections is 0.02. When HSGPA is also considered, the incremental validity of the writing section is 0.01.
Probably not worth the extra fatigue and cost. And why is the College Board so adamant about opposing making the writing test optional like the ACT or allowing students to take the sections as singular sections (modular testing)?
ACT exam
I would really like to see a statistical comparison between the SAT and ACT. The SAT has been marketed a lot more in the west coast, however, due to research conducted by ACT, data shows that underrepresented students tend to perform better on the ACT compared to the SAT. Since underrepresented students make up about 90% of the school population I work for, I have been making great efforts to encourage more of them to take the ACT instead.
There is one thing I really do not understand about college admissions. If there is evidence that these college entrance exams are not good predictors of college success, why do they continue to make them a requirement? Many universities put the act of research on a pedestal yet ignore what studies continue to prove; that they are useless.
Standardized Testing
I believe that all standardized testing is first and foremost a test of the student's ability to read. I have found over (43) years as a H.S. Guidance Counselor that those students who are not strong readers but work hard to make strong grades will score well on the ACT. At the same time these students will not score well on the SAT. I have recommended that the strong readers take the SAT first and then the ACT if they are not satisfied with their results. I believe that the best way to improve standardized tests scores is to improve reading rate and comprehension. We have established reading programs in many schools where I have been asked about the best way to improve standardized test scores. The best method of predicting success in education is to be able to measure "TENACITY". How bad do you want it?
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