Report on the role of standardized test scores in undergraduate admissions [pdf]

Post by JumpCrisscross » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 5:57 PM UTC

brigadier132 wrote: post #151

etrautmann wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such a cynical and tired take. I would imagine that most people attending college at least intend to learn something and level up some ability. Many of them will also enjoy partying in their early 20s. Both can be true, and there’s not a singular purpose of attending school.

> This is such a cynical and tired take Good job, starting off strong with a real substantive criticism. > I would imagine that most people attending college at least intend to learn something and level up some ability. Your imagination is lacking and you have not spoken with many 18 year olds, the vast majority are not highly motivated learners. A large number of degrees teach skills that are not even valuable enoug…

Post by smeej » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 6:00 PM UTC

anon291 wrote: post #121

retzkek wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NY Times article about this addressed that concern specifically, indeed it was the key point of the study: > It’s worth acknowledging a crucial part of this story. Dartmouth admits disadvantaged students who have scores that are lower on average than those of privileged students. The college doesn’t apologize for that. Students from poor neighborhoods or troubled high schools have effectively been running with wi…

> I also asked whether she was worried that conservative critics of affirmative action might use test scores to accuse Dartmouth of violating the recent Supreme Court ruling barring race-conscious admissions. She was not. Dartmouth can legally admit a diverse class while using test scores as one part of its holistic admissions process, she said. I am conservative and I have no problem with poor students from disadvan…

Post by nyrikki » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 6:00 PM UTC

gizmo686 wrote: post #106

nyrikki wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that metrics like how many TVs a household has are indicators of performance on SAT scores. Obviously this is a proxy for socioeconomic status, and people higher on that ladder will have better support structures to do better in school. This is begging the question as socioeconomic status is the primary indicator of educational attainment in our country today. They aren't measuring potential, but the persons a…

This point is specifically addressed in the paper. The predictive power of SAT/ACT goes far beyond its corralation to socioeconomic status. > Importantly, the relationship between first-year college GPA and SAT/ACT scores is likewise quite similar across neighborhood income and other demographic subgroups at Dartmouth. By contrast, Chetty, Deming, and Friedman (2023) show that certain non-test score inputs in the adm…

Post by zeroCalories » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 6:02 PM UTC

ryukoposting wrote: post #146

zeroCalories wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you're trying to make a point about test taking, but you're aware that college GPA is composed of more than just being a good test taker? Better way of putting it might be: someone that scores highly on an IQ proxy is good at everything.

Not in my experience in the Big Ten. For any math/science class, the plurality of the final grade was made up by exam scores - typically 45-60 percent, to my recollection. 60ish percent is a very particular number, because it's the highest weight that doesn't make it possible to pass the class by doing almost nothing except the exams. At 65 percent, you're giving students an easy way to game the system. Some classes…

Post by Scubabear68 » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 6:03 PM UTC

ericjmorey wrote: post #145

Scubabear68 wrote: post #49

This is not surprising to me. Our local school district started using social promotion several years ago when a new Superintendent started. Struggling students were ratcheted down to being taught materials 1-3 grades below their level. Extra credit not related to the subject were allowed to boost grades (such as coloring assignments in 4th grade Spanish). The end result was a huge population of kids with straight B a…

That seems like a poor plan to get kids "up to speed" with their peer groups. Especially if any of those students have parents who are unable or unwilling to provide a nurturing environment for their kids.