As I stated in my introductory blog post, I am almost certain my financial life was determined by how many of the final ten questions on each ACT subtest were letter choice C. This should not be how this process is done. Although I benefited from it, I do not think one’s financial aid in college should be determined by random choices on a multiple-choice test. A person is much more than their score on a standardized test.
Through the 1950s, executives in the Education Testing Service (ETS) strongly believed that no one could practice for the SAT. They felt the test was strictly a measure of a student’s aptitude. Around the same time, Stanley Kaplan graduated from a public college in New York near the top of his class, but he was denied entry to five medical schools because they did not consider his public education as legitimate. Soon, Kaplan quietly began a tutoring service to help students with the SAT. Kaplan actually supported the SAT, feeling it helped underprivileged students like himself gain access to better colleges and careers. Nevertheless, he unknowingly defied the idea that one could not prepare for the SAT when his students scored signficantly better on the SAT after taking his preparatory course. Today, the same thing happens with the ACT, although it is an achievement test. High schools around the United States offer ACT Prep classes that teach students how to take the test. In my opinion, students should not lose instructional time in other areas to learn the tricks of an exam, and the ACT should not be considered with such importance. Students’ future success, again, should only be determined by their true academic ability, which is much more accurately measured by grade point average and success in advanced level classes.
Nevertheless, I am not completely against standardized testing as a whole. In their place, I do think tests are a good way to measure student learning, but they should not bear such incredible weight. If the pressure created by the circumstances surrounding standardized tests was reduced, then I think they would be viewed more positively by people.
I have not personally experienced standardized testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one of my friends was not able to take the ACT she needed to pass in order to gain entry into the College of Education. As a result, she is currently being forced to take another entrance exam. Not offering any alternatives for students to take the ACT during the pandemic does appear to be an issue. Perhaps ACT should consider offering the exam online with a service like ProctorU. From my own personal experience, this has worked well for PRAXIS exams.
