[Cowboy Bob]

The SAT is for kids going to College. Maybe the US needs to re-think the policy that every teen has to go on to College.

[kabar]

There are 10.4 million students from immigrant households in public schools, accounting for one in five public school students. Of these students, 78 percent speak a language other than English at home.

Overall, one in four public school students now speaks a language other than English at home.

[Rusty0604]

Decades ago I worked for a community college and helped high school grads pass the SAT. I was amazed that some of the people that had their HS diploma could barely read, write or perform simple math. I was told schools pass kids to get their money and they don’t want to be accused of discrimination.

[grania]

The SAT is for kids going to college

The vast majority of students graduating from HS take the SAT or ACT, even if they have no intention of going to college. It skews the average downward.

As you said, they should rethink the strategy. If high schools offered more vocational training, a lot of the problem would be solved. Not everybody's talent is to be found in four years of post-HS academic work.

The actual number of excellent scores is very high, more than the excellent colleges can accommodate.

"Free college education for all" is the dumbest idea for education, and that's saying a lot. The last thing colleges need is to babysit with lazy and out-of-control kids who go to college because it's free. It will drive decent students away. JMHO

[Calvin Locke]

It's probably worse. There's racial "norming" bumping up some of the scores.

Some big sports and even "elite" schools do not require SATs from applicants with certain attributes of the non-academic persuasion. Probably not a significant population to have a measurable effect on the whole, though.

[johniegrad]

Maybe the US needs to re-think the policy that every teen has to go on to College.

What governmental policy states this?

[fso301]

Maybe the US needs to re-think the policy that every teen has to go on to College.

Going to college enables K-12 policy makers to cite the success of a K-12 education. Otherwise, hard questions will have to be asked about why a high school graduate is qualified for nothing beyond a minimum wage service job.

[wintertime]

That’s the truth!

Here is an article by Charles Murray who suggests that qualifying exams in specific skills and subjects ( privately organized and administered) is a better solution.

Wall Street Journal: “ For Most People College is a Waste of Time”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121858688764535107