By Julia Gajewski-Nemes ‘15

The College Board announced March 5 that it will be making major changes to the SAT in spring 2016. The redesigned test aims to lessen the achievement gap between high- and low-income students on the test, according to the College Board.

However, as the College Board pushes for its recently proposed changes to improve the exam, skepticism regarding college entrance exams has resurfaced. Researchers, college admissions officers, teachers, parents and students are wondering how well the SAT predicts college success and whether or not the exam should be eliminated completely.

Recent studies on the SAT have explored its predictive validity, but yielded conflicting results. A study funded by the College Board and conducted by Dr. Paul Sackett found that socio-economic status does not correlate with one’s SAT scores nor with one’s ability to make it into college, but that there is a correlation between students’ SAT scores and students’ grades during their first year of college. These findings suggest that the SAT remains a useful measure for college admissions decisions.

However, not all studies yield the same findings as those of Sackett. Professor Frederick Vars of the University of Alabama and Dr. William Bowen, former President of Princeton University, found that standardized test scores might not be as predictive as previously thought.

In their study of 10,000 students, Frederick and Bowen found that a 100-point increase in SAT scores led to a one-tenth of a grade point gain for college GPA. This offered about the same predictive value as looking at whether an applicant’s parent had

a college degree.

The sentiment that SAT scores have very little predictive validity is not exclusive to college level professors. “It’s not an intelligence test, but an aptitude test that measure[s] how you could possibly do in college.  But if taking a weekend course can raise your score 100 points, how valid can that be?  There are too many tricks to the current SAT test that can raise your score if you learn them,” explained Tim Altaner, a math teacher of the College Prep Test course at Sherwood.

As concern over the predictive validity of the SAT grows, the College Board and several colleges and universities across the country are adjusting accordingly.

The College Board’s recently announced changes to the SAT make the exam easier to understand and ask students to demonstrate skills more pertinent to everyday life. Not only will the vocabulary consist of relevant words in context, but the problems presented throughout the exam will also be given in real-world  situations and students will be asked to provide evidence that supports their answers. The expectation is that these changes will be more useful in determining the college and career readiness of students.

Before the College Board took action, however, more than 800 colleges and universities took matters into their own hands by making the submission of SAT scores optional for admission. Researchers at Bates College, a test-optional school since 1984, found in their study, “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions,” that there were virtually no differences between the college performance of students who submitted scores and those who did not, although those who chose not to submit their scores scored, on average, 160 points less than submitters.

“In our study we found that 30 percent of the students were non-submitters, and were largely doing fine work in their colleges or universities, despite modest testing [scores],” said William Hiss, former dean of Bates College. “If our study is correct in its finding that 30 percent of students are being under-measured by testing, I would suggest that America cannot afford to throw away 30 percent of its potential talent.”

With schools shying away from the SAT I and placing more emphasis on GPAs, AP scores, SAT II scores and the overall personality of the applicant, the necessity of the SAT continues to remain in question and leads many to believe that the elimination of the SAT is a justifiable possibility.