SAT Testing Persuasive Essay

The SAT is a test that many feel helps the privileged. Many also believe that it is unnecessary and that it does not actually prepare students for college or the future. Charles Murray in the article, “Abolish the SAT” also believes that the SAT needs to be “abolished” and writes on why we do not need the SAT in a critical and vigorous manner.

Having escaped rule from a tyrannical British government, the United States was founded on ideals of freedom and equality for all people. These fantasies of universal egalitarianism turned out to be merely that: fantasies. American history is full of stories of the oppressed struggling to get the rights they deserve and of the controversy over these issues that consequently ensues. “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery” by Frederick Douglass and “We Shall Overcome” by Lyndon B. Johnson are two speeches made confronting two of these issues. Douglass’s speech, delivered in 1852, condemns the institution of slavery and maintains that slaves are men and are therefore entitled to freedom. Johnson’s speech, on the other hand, was written in 1965 and discussed the civil rights movement. In it, he implored local governments to allow all American citizens, regardless of race, to vote. Despite the significant gap in time between these two addresses, both speakers use similar persuasive techniques, including ethos, pathos, and parallelism, to convince their audience that change needs to be implemented in America.

“I was in trouble. The first analogies were pretty straightforward- along the lines of ‘leopard is to spotted as zebra is too striped’- but now I was in the tall weeds of nuance. Kangaroo is to marsupial as the giant squid is to- I don’t know, maybe D) cephalopod?” (Boylan). As we all know, tests vary from straightforward, to mildly difficult, to just unforgiving and torture for the mind, but this is life and whether people like it or not, everybody has to take a test in their academic career. In specific, the quote at the start of the paragraph shows the author of Save Us From the SAT, explaining to the reader her struggles when she took the SAT or Scholastic Assessment Test. But not to worry because College Board announced in late March that they will be redesigning the SAT to make it, as they say, more high school oriented. The way the SAT is being changed is by making the essay optional, taking out the odd and unusual vocabulary words and replacing them with words that people use day to day life, allowing it to be taken on a computer, and most importantly not penalizing the test taker for getting the wrong answer. This all sounds fantastic, but there is one problem and that is that the new exam will be put into use in 2016. That is my problem, why would they make people suffer and make the test only available until 2016. In my opinion, College Board should speed up the process of making the new SAT in order for other people to benefit from the changes.

In the United States, minority students tend to score lower on the SAT than the white majority. From 2012-2013, the average SAT mathematics score for white test takers was a 534, however, for black students it was a 429. Similarly, the average critical-reading score for white students was a 527, and a 431 for black students (NCES 1). In a recent interview with CNN, Monty Neill, FairTest deputy director said: “Most colleges will use the SAT as one piece of evidence, but a lot of them will use it to weed out a whole lot of kids who never then get a chance (Prois 1).” This means that minorities, who traditionally score lower, are going to get left out because they will not be predicted to do well. By abolishing the SAT, all students will be given an equal opportunity to get into college. They will be able to show their success through academics, their writing, and the activities they did while in high

The intended purpose of the College Board’s SAT is to show the academic potential of a student to colleges. However, this intent is not fulfilled, and the test favors those of higher income brackets. In fact, “About 30 percent of those who took the SAT were black, Hispanic or American Indian, groups whose scores have stubbornly remained lower than those of whites and Asians.” (The International Herald Tribune). Because those which are typically in lower income brackets have been statistically proven to average lower scores on the SAT, the test does not accomplish its intended purpose.

Most believe the SAT to be a valid method of testing your knowledge. Others believe it to be incredibly biased and unfair towards those who have a lower financial status. The SAT should be abolished because it has given unfair disadvantages to the less financially stable and in doing so it has allowed college campuses to result in a less diverse student body and because of the impact it has on college admissions the SAT has prevented some students from obtaining a higher education. The cost of tutoring programs for the SAT are immensely high and out of the question for those who are poverty stricken or in the lower middle class.

The same lady with the problem with my shorts scoffs and gives me a smug look before opening her mouth,

Sitting on the computer, signing up for the SAT, I envisioned myself taking the standardized test that so many dreaded. I saw myself kicking butt on the exam, exceeding my expectations, and earning myself admission into the college of my choice, which I had not yet decided on. When the day had come to take the test, junior year of high school, I was terrified, not because of the test, but because of the circumstances I now found myself in. School had always been tricky for me – waking up and getting ready in the morning, forcing myself onto the bus, the worst parts. My grades were amazing though, considering my fear of school. I earned mainly A’s in college prep and honors classes.

The SAT is still flawed along with the ACT and does not have any major differences between the two tests.

In recent years colleges have been beginning to disregard the SAT and/or ACT. According to Rooney and Schaeffer, more than two hundred and seventy five colleges have joined this movement as the colleges are arguing that disregarding these standardized tests have allowed for their incoming classes to be more diverse and have a higher standard in regards to academic quality. Through not using these tests while selecting students for their school it allows for more students who are apart of minority groups to have an opportunity at these schools. The main issue with the SAT and/or ACT tests are that colleges that only base their admissions on these tests limit themselves to choosing students based off a multiple choice exam instead of looking into the background participation the student had in previous high

Walk into the building 15 minute early: you have your number 2 pencils, a big eraser, and a calculator. The lady at the door checks your ticket, then your license, and checks you off the list. “Go to the bathroom before you enter the room and leave all items like food, water, and electronics out of the testing room, otherwise you will be kicked out and your test will not be scored” bluntly said the ACT test official. You enter the test room and sit and talk with the people around you before the test begins. The test official rattles all the instructions off like a robot. You and 1.92 million people took the ACT exam this year. Unlike the 1.7 million people who took the SAT.

“Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class in a week. You will be graded based on how convincing it is. Today we will be choosing topics,” announced Mr. Bowerbank, my 7th grade English teacher and ruler of classroom 110. My class simultaneously groaned at the prospect of work. I simply lifted my head with intrigue as it was already May and about time we had our first essay. He then proceeded to give examples of topics we could choose and gave us some time to think before we had to tell him our topic. My classmates were already rushing to tell the teacher their idea lest someone else steal it. That meant the usual abortion, death penalty, or drug use topics were out. I really couldn't think of anything and the teacher was slowly making his way through the remaining students like an executioner beheading criminals in a line. I have always thought that he would make a marvelous supervillain if he had a curly mustache, a tophat, and a cape. Eventually my name was called. I slowly dragged myself over to his desk. Even sitting down, he still seemed to tower over me. “What is your topic Cindy?” As usual in such desperate times, my mind turned to food. “Waffles are better than pancakes.” I figured that a waffle was just a differently shaped pancake with a nicer texture. “Hmm. Excellent topic. I look forward to your essay!” I survived to live yet another day.

The ACT and SAT are both forms of standardized tests used to show colleges the progress a student has made. The ACT may be considered a broad exam but many students may still choose its opponent. American College Testing was developed to rival the SAT in the 1950s but has it done its job? This question has formed many debates but in the end the student may still choose which they prefer to take. I believe that the chosen test should reflect the subjects a student is strong in.

Since I have been sick these past few days and have been unable to take the Chapter 5 test, I would like to finally take that test tomorrow morning if it works for you. I'm done with both the notes and the chapter review. I will turn all of that in along with my completed homework tomorrow. If I have time I can complete the Homework quiz that I missed or else I can just finish that in

Unlike the ACT, the SAT is tested heavily on Math and English because the SAT seeks to” measure a students’ ability to learn” (McManus 1). The test “is designed to provide information as independently as possible from the high school curricula, measuring more abstractly defined education aptitudes” (McManus 1). The ACT was designed to measure how much the student has already learned (McManus 1). The ACT asks its testers to “integrate the knowledge and skills they possesses in major curriculum areas with the information provided by the test; In this way, there a direct relationship to the students’ progress in educational progress in curriculum-related areas” (McManus 1). Although each Test is vastly different, they both share one huge problem.