Standardized testing to determine the futures of college bound students nationwide

For many juniors at LRHS, spring means the coming of senior year, college applications and monumental life decisions.

Preparation for arguably the most important decisions of their lives begins by studying for standardized testing, namely the SAT.

The SAT, which originally stood for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, is an exam written by College Board designed to compare students in the college admissions process.

In explaining the purpose of their exam, College Board explained, “The world needs more people who can solve problems, communicate clearly, and understand complex relationships.”

They add, “The SAT Suite of Assessments focuses on the skills and knowledge that will help today’s students meet that need.”

Several LRHS students plan on taking the SAT to meet college admissions requirements.

Camden Smith said, “I’m taking the SATs to help get myself off to a strong start in my life after high school.”

Similarly, Cameron Weber explained, “I am taking the SATs because I want to get into a good college, so my future can be as big and grand as my dreams.”

For most students, the best motivation to do well on the test is the opportunities associated with a proficient score.

“A good SAT means that I can further my knowledge,” Megan Buriak explained, “It means I could get into higher ranked schools.”

“The SATs are important for most colleges,” Rachel Schell acknowledged, added, “No matter where I decide to go, I want to be able to put my name out to many schools to choose the best option.”

A solid performance on the SAT can pay dividends later on in life. Not only do more selective schools offer more financial aid, but financial aid is often based off academic merit.

Schell generalized, “A good SAT score can result in a better college, financial aid, and other things.”

Such strong benefits from a positive SAT score can place pressure on test takers.

Because of this, Buriak believed, “It does not show you what I know or how good my abilities in a subject are, it shows you how good at memorizing and test taking I am.”

As a reflection of this philosophy, some schools are becoming test-optional.

Journalist Julia Quinn-Szcesuil explained the logistics of test-optional schools on CollegeXpress.com, “Colleges with test-optional admission policies make sending in test scores just that: optional. You get to choose whether to send your scores to that school or not. If you… did well, you can send the score as part of your application packet.”

“If you weren’t happy with your score,” Quinn-Szcesuil added, “you can leave it out.”

However, test-optional schools do not boast easier admissions. Author and counselor Jon Reider explained, “Colleges that decide to go test optional do so because they are placing a different value on a student’s record.” Other aspects of their application are given more weight in the admissions process.

Test-optional schools are not the majority. In 2015, 70 to 75 percent of colleges still required some form of standardized test scores from applicants.

Consequently, the SAT remains of high importance to many students’ futures.

As a result, two major questions arise: how to study, and when? The answer: as much as possible, and often.

Smith concluded, “To prepare, I’m taking it day by day, going through my classes, and learning. As my SAT date is coming up, I will begin to start studying what will be on the test more thoroughly.”