I assume that most of you guys already know about the entrance tests for college, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT). Standardizing tests have ignited a national debate in the last few years, and many parents feel understandably concerned about their children being judged on the basic tests that don’t seem to correlate with actual learning or with successful college and career outcomes.
As a senior in high school who has been experiencing high school enough to state this: I strongly believe that standardized tests are unnecessary for students and it should not be a factor in determining a student's admission into the school.
There is more to a student than just the number on the test score report. I know a lot of my friends feel discouraged to apply to the college of their dreams just because they have a low SAT/ACT score even though they have been working so hard in their classes and are so involved in the school. They don’t have the confidence to apply for the college that they wanted to go. My friends should not feel this way about themselves. They need to know that there is more inside of them as a person than the test scores. I hope the college admission office from the colleges around the United States can understand this: we as students have more to offer to the school as well as to the world around us, and who we are as a people and what we can do, is not determine by the standardized tests score. The SAT or ACT do not consider how much we have grown over the course of the years. This can be a disservice to teachers who worked to help us grow, and those who put in their best effort to improve but performed poorly on one test.
I still remember exactly how I felt when I saw my SAT scores. My heart sank and I was devastated because of the low score I got. As a student, I have a good work ethic and I consider myself a well rounded student at my high school. I am in the top 7% in my senior class and I am also involved in clubs and school activities. But because of just that one score, my self-esteem dropped. For the longest time, I felt like there will not be any college that would accept me because my SAT is low. Unfortunately, I got rejected from all the colleges that I wanted to go to. If there was no requirement for submitting the test score, my chance of getting my dream college would be higher.
Colleges that have gone "test optional” enroll — and graduate — a higher proportion of low-income and first generation-students, and more students from diverse backgrounds, the researchers found in the study, Defining Access: How Test-Optional Works. If a student is a straight-A student in high school but has a low test score, not having to submit the test score can open the door to a top selective school.
The college application itself has created enough stress for us already. Standardized tests only add to the stress that we already have which can lead to major stress. We feel the pressure when it comes to performing well on tests. As I said above, test scores can affect one’s confidence. This can lead to the development of a negative attitude about our abilities and a dislike for school. The students and I want the colleges to look at who we are as people and what we can do, including our GPA because it shows how we perform in school academically.
I would like the college system to eliminate the SAT/ACT exam so the students can have time and space to focus on what really matters for their future because I know in the end, you all want your students to be successful in the future and accomplish their dreams. Please listen to the students’ wants and needs because we are the ones who know what is the best for us.
