Bowsite.com

"The College Board, which oversees the SAT exam used by most U.S. colleges during the admissions process, plans to introduce an “adversity score” which takes into consideration the social and economic background of every student."

Uhh.....how about just scoring the students on WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED, instead of giving them a participation trophy????

Where I teach in KS the schools have plenty of funding, not so much in other pockets. The better schools usually correlate to higher average scores. Yes, family background and behaviors as well as lots of other variables affect this, but in lower income areas parents may not have the option of one parent staying home, or home schooling, or even being prepared educationally to help their children.

I know this is not anyone else's fault, yet I have a tough time only because the children really did not make any choice in their situation. Gosh, I hear myself and yes I think I sound left leaning right now. God help me!

Frank is 100% right in his statement about poverty and education not being the kid's fault. But it's been shown many times that low scores on entrance exams correlates to high college drop out rates. In my opinion lowering standards will increase college drop out and student dept that can't be repaid. It creates an empty promise that is very costly to the individual.

Again, I know I sound left leaning. Personally I think people need to pass a test to have kids, which includes their knowledge as well as their financial ability. But hey, I also believe in limited government. I have to admit, I do not have any good answers.

The Rock

Definitely our culture needs some scrutiny, but then I worry about sounding like an old man, LOL. I still love Eric's line in the 70s show, "I thought my name was 'dumb ass' for the first 17 years of my life". My parents and people their age at the time talked about us going to hell in a hand basket because of our music, the way we dressed length of our hair, etc. I still have faith that we are yet to hit our best days, and no doubt we see the right side fighting back more. That is good!

The fault lies in the families (or in many cases the guardians). I see kid after kid who think they HAVE to go to college to be successful after high school but have zero plan on how to do it. There is no plan to pay, or study skills worked on, or even a cost analysis of cost vs future income. They simply go if they get accepted. For many of them it's a bad decision and a very costly one. It's like buying a $100k car with no income to match and nobody is telling them it's a bad idea. I truly want everyone to have a chance at education and betterment, but to be unprepared is common and not good.

I agree with you. We need more folks to go the route of technical/trade skills where we have a shortage. Proud that my school is building a new structure to teach the next generation with the latest in the technical trades! We have $104M in capital improvements going on right now, and we already have a very large campus. Maybe belatedly, but schools are starting to realize we have enough folks educated with the back ground I do, in fact a huge surplus actually. Part of the problem though is parents still want to "compete" saying their kid goes/went to XXX University.

Infrastructure might be a thing of the past soon though. More and more of this probably ought to or can be taught by employers, IMHO.

Thanks.

Want to make it better? Add an IQ portion, that goes beyond what SAT tests for today as no matter your IQ you won't ace the math portion if you haven't aced calculus.

If I were going to support one Social(ist) Program it would be education. What do you like?, are you halfway good at it (aptitude test), free ride to votech or liberal arts as warranted.

Buy that with my tax money...

Let's send kids to schools where they can't keep up academically and then fail when they could otherwise go to good but less prestigious schools where they can succeed, graduate and then go on do great things!

Right?

Well, NO!

If you're a liberal, seeing these kids succeed is irrelevant as long as it makes liberals 'feel good.'

Far too many who are admitted to colleges these days have to take remedial English, math and other courses just to be able to enroll in college level courses. Part of my job as supervisor of the transplant lab was to instruct med students who took independent studies in our lab. Amazing that many of them could not construct a proper sentence let along an entire paragraph on required papers for completing their class. Many of these "professional" students were admitted based upon special status.

Warning: they are out there practicing medicine on you... ;o)

Do you know what they call the person who graduated last in their class at Med School?

"Doctor!"

That sounds good, but ultimately isnt really fair to anyone. As many noted above. If you get in knowing you are sort of a "project", how's that feel? Do you end up with the same opportunities? likewise, how's that impact student motivation. If you are a middle class kid who has a family that works really hard to ensure you are well prepped for school and you get a score 15 points lower than the adjusted score for the other kid - what's that do to your belief that you have a shot?

I get the intent of what folks are tying with this concept. But it doesnt really work, and the negative is big.

The better strategy would be to recognize the massive value of community colleges and state schools. Most of those places will accept folks who's high school academics were not stellar and have programs to help with the economics... and the cost is not crazy if the student sticks to locals vs flagship campus options. Work hard, learn to learn, become a good student... Now if you want to go to Havahd or Penn or whatever, you can try and make that jump for your Masters or PhD.

Unless some sort of amazing academic scholarship comes along thanks to my kids hard work, that's the route I would go as a middle/upper middle class person. They go to college, far far far cheaper and in many cases if they go CC to local college/university they never even need to take the SAT. Sweet!

Don't scale test scores like that. You are ready to take it and get a score or not. And if not, you just need to take a different route.

People need to get off the ubber "elite" keep up with the jones or ahead of them mentality... Ugh.

Isn't that our collective goal? To prepare our kids to become the very best they can be? Punishing success and rewarding failure runs counter to a Republic, and everything that made America great.

It's a competitive market out there. We need the best and brightest to lead us forward, and that concept is blind to both privilege and adversity.

Results matter.

BS!!!

"Capacity to learn" has nothing to do with being prepared for getting into a school where you are not prepared to compete.

The failure rate for the kids who 'get a pass' to get into the top schools then can't cut it is horrendous.

Lives wasted and all because Liberals want to think good of themselves.

But....I should have clarified it a bit, as I was referring mainly to more politically based/Washington type government jobs.

Paper: Professor Bias May Deflate Conservative College Students’ Grades

Conservative students saw the biggest grade dip when studying in the humanities and social sciences,and a grade boost when studying in hard-science fields. The bias was more pronounced at higher-ranked colleges.

Conservative students enter college with higher SAT scores and GPAs than liberal students, but by the fourth year of college have lower GPAs than liberal peers, which may be a consequence of institutional bias, finds a new working paper from the University of Arkansas...

(continued at link)

Not surprised there will be silence on something that slaps the daily narrative here square in the face.

Henry, maybe he took your grade down because he knew you were intentionally showing disrespect? Good lesson then, we pay a price for our behavior even when we are convinced it is right. Another lesson about the world not being fair!

Especially if you're a Hollywood star.

But it would be a heck of a lot better if it involved fostering the belief in those kids and communities that their work could help them have opportunities and options. That they have a shot if they work hard. Telling them they get 25 extra points or what not doesn't help.

True or not, many people from poor communities and regions (of all make ups) simply believe that they dont have a shot, and their potential long term tends to follow suit. Conversely you grow up middle class or upper class and your family challenges you to do even better... Very different mindset and outcome.

Giving people with lower odds of success in a test spare points sets them up to fail further up the road... It doesnt help the be successful... unless there is a poo ton of help along the way. I'd rather just see amazing education systems from PK up helping prepare kids... And families, of all economic status levels, having at least a bit of a belief that they have a shot.

So what did I have that gave me a leg up? A mother and a father that kept me on track and threatened to kick my ass if I strayed from the plan. Yup, I had a family. Padding an SAT score does not even come close to what most kids need today. Pete

BINGO!!! It really is that simple. I had those parents too, and they not only spoke of these things to keep me on track, they LIVED IT. They were my example, my "app"...in today's terms.