EDITORIAL – SAT slip-ups require future assurance

High school may be full of tests, but for upperclassmen, one exam reigns supreme: the SAT. The… High school may be full of tests, but for upperclassmen, one exam reigns supreme: the SAT. The test, long a requirement for acceptance into colleges and universities across the country, has undergone scrutiny for various reasons over the years.

Some say the test, and standardized tests in general, is an inadequate measure of true ability and does not appropriately reflect intelligence. Others say private tutoring services – which can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars – give wealthier students an unfair advantage.

Many say this keeps the SAT from operating on a level playing field, although it was designed to give colleges a standardized measuring tool for evaluating students. Other tests such as the ACT have been created as supposedly more well-rounded exams, and many schools weigh SAT scores less heavily than in the past. Still, the test – which costs $41.50 to take – remains crucial.

Regardless of whatever inequalities and alternatives exist, most students have to take the SAT. The scores they receive will dictate to some extent where they apply, which schools accept them and what scholarships and honors programs they may be eligible for.

In short, students entrust a lot of their future to the College Board, the nonprofit that created and administers the SAT and several other standardized tests. Lately, though, it seems like the College Board isn’t doing enough to earn that trust.

Several students were unpleasantly surprised by their low scores on the October 2005 exam; they paid the College Board to have their exams looked over again and found that they actually did much better than the College Board had originally reported. Following this, the College Board re-examined a number of other exams and learned that Pearson Educational Measurement, the company the College Board subcontracts the scoring to, made mistakes on more than 5,000 tests.

Most of the mistakes were less than 100 points, but even 20 or 30 points can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. The College Board has notified affected students, most of whom already sent their false scores to colleges. Some colleges are reconsidering the new scores. Others are not.

Although the College Board says this is a one-time problem and related to “abnormally high moisture” in the answer sheets, how can future – and past – test-takers be sure? The College Board would not have known about the mistakes had a number of students not taken the initiative to investigate their scores – a service for which the College Board charges between $10 and $100 – and then complain.

This may even turn into something profitable for the College Board – a despicable thought. Until the Board implements some better form of quality control, test verification should be the standard for all students. If their futures have to be dependent on a number, it’s the least the College Board can do to ensure those numbers are accurate.