Ending the arms race: the University of California and the SAT - special report

Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education, April, 2001 by Jennifer C. Patterson

When the SAT test was introduced in 1901, it was intended for egalitarian purposes. Initially an achievement test that measured mastery of college preparatory subjects, it was designed to allow students who did not attend elite prep schools to demonstrate their suitability for college, thus broadening the pool of potential college students.

Even when the test was changed to an aptitude test in the 1930s, the intentions were to increase access to college. By changing to a test of ability rather than achievement, it was believed that more students who did not have the advantage of attending schools with college preparatory curricula would still have a chance to demonstrate ability to attend college. Although the test still involved selecting an elite student body, the SAT made the process more fair.

Now, however, colleges are questioning whether the SAT is doing more harm than good to the pool of potential college students. In the face of concerns that the SAT disadvantages women and minorities, and in the midst of a boom in the test preparation business, some schools are discontinuing their use of the test.

Following similar announcements by smaller, private schools such as Mount Holyoke, Richard Atkinson, president of the University of California, has proposed that the UC system eliminate the SAT I requirement for applicants. Calling the national emphasis on the standardized SAT test "the educational equivalent of a nuclear arms race," this proposal may be a major step toward disarmament. Certainly, such an announcement by one of the nation's largest users of the SAT test brings the issue into the national spotlight.

Atkinson's Proposal

At a speech delivered to the annual meeting of the American Council on Education on February 18, 2001, Atkinson laid out a proposal that could have a far-reaching impact on the way that the SAT I is used in college admissions. The proposal, if adopted by the UC faculty and the board of regents, could go into effect for the entering class of 2003.

Atkinson proposes that students no longer be required to take the SAT I, the aptitude portion of the standardized test, in order to apply for admission to the UC system. He also proposes that new tests be developed to test a student's knowledge rather than aptitude; in the interim, the achievement-based SAT II tests would be used to fill this piece of the admission puzzle. Finally, Atkinson calls for a move away from quantitative admission formulas and the adoption of a "comprehensive, holistic way" of looking at applicants.

"Atkinson believes that this will [align] standards more closely with what [students] learn in high school," said Brad Hayward, spokesman for the University of California. Hayward said that Atkinson believes standardized tests should have three main characteristics: they should test clearly defined academic competencies; students who do well in high school should see correspondingly high test scores; and students should be able to return to their completed tests and learn how to improve by studying missed questions. Atkinson contends that the SAT does not meet these criteria.

Atkinson's proposal follows the 1996 passage of Proposition 209, which disallowed the uses of gender or ethnicity in admission decisions. Nonetheless, Hayward denied that the proposal was in response to any political or cultural shift. "Atkinson has been concerned [about this] for some time," said Hayward, calling the proposal Atkinson's "personal vision."

The College Board Responds

The College Board, which administers the SAT, is less than enthusiastic about the UC proposal. "Dropping the SAT makes no more sense than dropping classroom grades," said College Board president Gaston Caperton in a prepared statement.

Caperton argues that "the SAT ... provides a national standard and encourages high achievement." He also calls the test "a common yardstick in an era of grade inflation," supporting the test's use as one national standard that can be part of a student's entire admission portfolio.

Caperton acknowledges concerns that certain groups of students consistently score lower than others on tests such as the SAT. But he contends that removing the SAT will simply remove the measure of inequality instead of fixing it. "It is urgent that we focus our energy on raising standards for everyone, rather than on eliminating tools that help reveal unequal educational opportunities," he said.

The College Board is taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the effect that this proposal may have on the number of students taking the test. "It is hard to say how the proposal would affect the numbers of SAT takers, since many students in California may want to apply to colleges outside the UC system, and

those colleges might require or recommend the SAT," said Janice Gams, associate director of public affairs for the College Board. Gams adds that "the College Board stands behind the validity, fairness and integrity of the SAT."

Fighting the Culture of Hysteria

"Most people don't draw the distinction between aptitude and achievement," said Nicholas Lemann, author of The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy.