The war on standards — dumbing down the SAT

Powerline ^ | March 9, 2014 | Paul Mirengoff

[prairiebreeze]

The College Board is once again altering the SAT. According to the Washington Post, the SAT’s writers appear to be doing two things: changing what they test and making the test easier.

To me, it sounds as if the SAT will be made easier largely by changing what it tests. For example, the Post says that students will no longer be expected to know “difficult, lesser-used vocabulary words” and “advanced mathematical concepts will disappear from the exam” (my understanding is that truly advanced mathematical concepts do not appear on the current exam).

--snip--

No one who has been paying attention can doubt the main purpose behind the overhauling of the SAT. Members of certain minority groups perform far worse than average on the exam. This fact doesn’t prevent most colleges from admitting pre-determined levels of minority students under their race-based preferential admissions systems. But the outcomes under these preferential systems (e.g., vast disparities between the average scores of admitted black and white students), unless concealed, subject the systems to much criticism

[Rca2000]

And also taking MEANINGLESS “women’s studies” courses or other sociopolitical shit—that does NOT help in the real world !!

[EinNYC]

It is being adjusted to accommodate Commie Core outcomes. Commie Core, where students are basically just sitting in groups reading a few pages and then answering questions about what they read, is the "new" teaching technique. The teacher just stands off to the side for most of the period. She does not explain stuff, point stuff out, show stuff, etc. Just hands out the handouts. This parody of education, designed to produce worker bees for Microsoft (Bill Gates is a major contributor to the program and a major proponent of it, surprise!) and other mega-companies, does not prepare kids for the SAT as it exists today. So, mega-pressure on the company producing the SAT to conform it to Commie Core outcomes. No mysteries here.

DUMB-da-DUMB-DUMB!

[dr_lew]

Ok, I spelled it wrong.

I'm gonna call you on this. You didn't spell it wrong, you remembered it wrong. "IdioTOcracy" is not a misspelling of "Idiocracy," it's a different word. I mean, it could have been "Idiotocracy," but it wasn't.

[hadaclueonce]

But I do know how to spell RESPECT.

I did better than the Brown Clown.

[prairiebreeze]

I think that’s most likely true.

[VanShuyten]

“But you won’t catch me campaigning to eliminate “aviatrix” from the GRE!”

I’ve always wondered why it’s Senator Boxer, not Senatrix Boxer.

[prairiebreeze]

Hmmm....bump!

[sunrise_sunset]

“Difficult” words capture subtleties that simpler words don’t.

[elpadre]

American schools chase after mediocrity.

And this has been happening for many years, starting soon after the Department of Education came into existence.

The data is clear - check it!!

[OldPossum]

Re your post 20, I think there’s a lot of truth in that, based upon what I hear about many students using those loans to essentially “hang out” for four years, avoiding the real world.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

They have dumb down the students, so that’s why they have to lower the standards. They keep it up nobody will have a “passing” sat score. That’s their goal, but this will mask it. (I used to think this was conspiracy theory...but we are actually living it. BS covered with a thin candy coating.)

[dr_lew]

This is an exhibition, not a contest.

There’s a reason for everything, and it’s obvious to me why The One slipped up here. It’s because of the song, which was the basis of his statement, after all. In the recitation of the spelling, the “E” can get lost in the “R” to “S” transition, so that it’s easy to elide it, very much as the “a” in Neil Armstrong’s “for a man”.

[stylin19a]

The announcement on Tuesday was made by College Board President David Coleman, who before taking the post in 2012, played a key role in designing Common Core.

from another article.

[dr_lew]

I read the biography of Peter the Great by Massie, and I was quite struck by the story of Peter’s son, who had neither the aptitude nor the inclination to succeed his father, and was as gay as an Easter bonnet to boot.

His father the Tsar formally gave him a year ( I think ) to shape up and get Tsar-like, but he took this as a 1 year reprieve and went on a gay romp across Europe. Of course, he paid the price in the end.

[hinckley buzzard]

No word is more "difficult" than any other once you learn what it means. As for use, Some words are "lesser used" because we have dummies for English teachers who don't know those words themselves, don't use them in class, and don't expect their students to learn them.

[hinckley buzzard]

From a practical standpoint the big deal is, grade inflation masks and obscures differences that the test was designed to measure in the first place. A test that yields all A's is useless as a test. An SAT that gives everyone a hundred point boost, and with a ceiling, has reduced utility. The curve develops a severe skew.

[GOPJ]

But the outcomes under these preferential systems (e.g., vast disparities between the average scores of admitted black and white students), unless concealed, subject the systems to much criticism..

Treating the illusion isn't treating the problem... don't they know that?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Did they do this for the benefit of a particular group?

Blacks and Hispanics do poorly on the SAT, therefore it is racist.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

But you won't catch me campaigning to eliminate "aviatrix" from the GRE!

That's because you're a racist.

[Noob1999]

Well, I can certainly understand that!

Since division is too complex for math teachers to teach, the kids are allowed to complete division questions with the help of a calculator.

Are calculators allowed for students taking the SAT’s?????

Back in my days in high school in the fifties, there was no such thing as a calculator (except for the Friden 99 key totalizer, which was unaffordable).

So all our math work was figured out with paper and pencil, and many super long hours of homework!