College Board Scores With Critics of SAT Analogies

Los Angeles Times ^ | July 27, 2003 | Paul Pringle

[Recourse]

College Board Scores With Critics of SAT Analogies By Paul Pringle Times Staff Writer

July 27, 2003

The SAT is to college admission ...

" ... As a root canal is to a dentist?" said Peter Lee, 16. He and several other weary-looking high school students had just emerged from a four-hour SAT prep class in Glendale.

"As a root canal is to a patient?" suggested Emin Gharibian, 17.

Neither of those worked for Anthony Kwon, 16. "As a root canal is to pain," he said.

Pain is typically the refrain when college-bound youngsters jaw about the SAT. But some relief is coming. This month, University of California regents approved plans for a revamped SAT that would eliminate its long-maligned analogy section, after more than 70 years of torturing the correlation-challenged.

[Recourse]

Don't care for the LA Times, but this article needs reviewing. The University of California Regents is singlehandly destroying the SAT, the only true predictor of college ability available. For example, they cite the use of the word "regatta" by the SAT as culturally biased. What would they put in its place? A hip-hop reference? When are our professional educators going to learn that this kind of lowest common denominator thinking only HURTS poor children. Children of wealthier parents will always go the extra mile to pay for private school tutors, etc. to ensure that their children get a proper education and learn English at a college level.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

For example, they cite the use of the word "regatta" by the SAT as culturally biased.

Would it make them feel better if the SATs were sprinkled with "cap yo' ass", "bling-bling", "bitches", "hoes", and "sluts"?

[AntiGuv]

Is this kind of like suggesting that military service in a war zone is analogous to a walk in a D.C. park or a joyride down an L.A. freeway??

[zeromus]

For example, they cite the use of the word "regatta" by the SAT as culturally biased.

Lets just say that I can be supremely confident that I tied or beat anyone else on the verbal part of the SAT, and yet I have no idea what a regatta is. I would hesitate to describe it as a cultural bias, but there is something about words like that being on tests that irritate me. Although oftentimes the exact meaning of the word is not essential knowlege. Educated guesses can be made from the parts of speech, and whether there is any straightforward relationships in A:B::C:? between C and the choices for ? at all. That sort of reasoning is useful. I think the SAT should try hard to put combinations of words in its test that will trip up anyone.

[Timesink]

"That's incredibly culturally centered," Schaeffer said. "You don't see a regatta in center-city L.A., you don't see it in Appalachia, you don't see it in New Mexico."

The annual Sternwheel Regatta, Charleston, WEST VIRGINIA. Last time I checked, that's Applalachia.

Schaeffer's a lying sack of sh*t.

[xm177e2]

It sounds like he's less a liar and more merely ignorant of what goes on in Appalachia.

[Timesink]

Heron Lake Laser REGATTA, New Mexico, Sept. 9-10

[Timesink]

See post seven. He's either too ignorant PERIOD to be making any comments about the SAT, or he's intentionally lying.

[AntiGuv]

Well, I knew what a regatta was when I took my final SAT and I took that in Appalachia no less.

PS At best one might tie my SAT verbal score.

[mhking]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/953310/posts

[cyborg]

Right here on Long Island at Stony Brook University, there's the Roth Quad regatta. Cardboard boat race in a pond. Where is a regatta supposed to be held? Only in a rich, high falutin' water properties? If a person is well read they'd know what a regatta is. Being a well read person is a PERSONal responsibility isn't it?

[Recourse]

Well, it they'd put at least ONW WORD of the title when I do a search, I might be able to find it. If someone's going to trick up the title to such an extent, there isn't much I can do.

[cantfindagoodscreenname]

I'm too lazy to register to read the whole article, but I thought I'd pipe in here and say that my soon-to-be ninth grader is telling me that he's going to take the SAT this coming fall so that he'll be able to do the analogies while they are still on the test. He's afraid that the new writing portion that will replace the analogies will not be able to be judged fairly. My son took the SAT last year in eighth grade and got three wrong on the math portion (only giving him a 730, unfortunately) and he got a 560 on the verbal. He's been studying vocabulary since the beginning of this year so that he can bring that score up. I'd love to see him bring it up over 700, but I don't think that's likely :-(.

I'm just wondering if colleges will accept "old" scores from the "old" test. He wants to avoid the writing test like the plague, lol.

BTW, does the article mention that the analogies will be replaced with a writing test in a few years? I read that in a magazine recently.

Now....about the word "regatta"...isn't that a boat race? I live in New England and know what it is (I think, lol). And my vocabulary wasn't the best--I think I got a 560 on my verbal score umpteen years ago.

Candi

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

exactly.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I find it very racist that these "diversity" types think that a black person can't mentally grasp something that isn't right in front of their face 24/7. I've never seen a duck-billed platypus or the Taj Mahal in person, but I know what they look like. Why is it so outrageous for the word "regatta" to be fair game on an aptitude test?

[Timesink]

PS At best one might tie my SAT verbal score.

I got a 14,540. Beat that! </fraud>

[grania]

The University of California Regents is singlehandly destroying the SAT, the only true predictor of college ability available.

All of the tweaking and pandering for the past decade or so has contributed to that. As far as the analogies are concerned, I think they are (were) one of the best tests available to determine which students have the aptitude to make connections and draw valid conclusions. That is, until schools start teaching abstract logic (sarcasm).

For example, they cite the use of the word "regatta" by the SAT as culturally biased.

A regatta is actually an experience for many of the students who are involved in yachting, but not for those who spend their summers in the inner city or on a farm or where ever. It wouldn't be hard to find an example that is more universal without using ghetto stereotypes. Surfing, skateboarding, etc. would have that universality and would avoid bringing the SAT under such scrutiny. Years ago, it was cup is to....and the answer was "saucer". Well, durrrr.....some lowlifes (myself included) put mugs on tables, not cups on saucers. It would be easy to avoid the cultural biases and do everyone a favor, as it is the only test that is above state "tweaking" for desired results.

[demkicker]

As our educational system goes down the toilet, so goes our freedom, our culture, our history, our ingenuity. In other words folks, there goes the United States of America.

The saddest part is that the sheeple are standing by and letting it happen. Besides terrorism, education is THE most important issue our country is facing and for the life of me, I can't believe conservatives continue to let California kooks reinvent the educational wheel as our kids get dumber every year! Excuse me, but after reading this I've got to take a break and try to cool off.

[zeromus]

Well, I knew what a regatta was when I took my final SAT and I took that in Appalachia no less.

Not to imply that it was a word above most people's level, but that it was part of a sphere of experience that plenty of perfectly intelligent people may never have been exposed to, and a word that is not exactly necessary for communicating clearly with others.

[Recourse]

That's not the point. Most Americans have never participated in, or seen a regatta. But if you have had a broad based reading curriculum, and studied vocabulary, you would know what it means.