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Talia Brown

Professor Leonard

ENG 1201

22 March 2022

What are the effects of the ACT and SAT tests on high school students and should the

tests be abolished?

The looming sensation of an upcoming test is one known by many. State tests,

exams, or even tests, in general, may spark feelings of anxiety into the hearts of high

school and college students alike. Desires to do well academically are shared by high

school students across the globe. Students want to succeed and two of the biggest

tests taken in high school are the ACT and SAT. These tests measure the college

readiness of upcoming college freshman students. The ACT and SATs should be

abolished because it causes students to compare themselves to others and oftentimes

worsens school-related anxiety.

The American College Testing and the Scholastic Aptitude Test, more commonly

known as the ACT and SAt, are examples of standardized tests many high school

juniors are required to take. The ACT is a standardized test that measures the

knowledge and skills learned by high school students during their time in high school. It

is scored on a scale of 1 to 36 with 36 being a perfect score. There is a math, English,

reading, science, and optional writing portion to the ACT. The SAT on the other hand

measures what a certain student could learn, not necessarily what they have already

learned. The test is scored from 400 to 1600 with 1600 being a perfect score. There are

over 20 states that either require or offer the ACT in some form or another across the
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United States. These

tests are heavily relied on

by colleges and

universities in their

application and

admissions processes.

They can help colleges

place students in the appropriate classes, Above is a graph of the average ACT score accepted into

and award scholarships. different colleges. The ACT score is a big factor in the admissions process.

Standardized tests have been around for hundreds of years. Standardized tests

became mandatory when the No Child Left Behind act was enacted by President W.

Bush. It became apparent in 2002 to the President that the American education system

was falling behind the rest of the world. At this time teachers were not required to have

a bachelor's degree and kids of all academic abilities were learning together. After the

NCLB act was passed things changed. Teachers were required to have a bachelor's

degree and a state-issued certificate to be able to teach a specific subject. This act also

required states to test students in the core subjects of English, mathematics, and

science. (Legal Information Institute). In 2015 the NCLB act was modified by President

Obama. He allowed some states to be exempt from the NCLB act. With this change,

teachers were held to a higher standard and became more responsible for their

teaching.

The ACT and SAT may seem very helpful to both colleges and students but in

reality, these tests don’t always reflect the student's academic ability. The ACT or SAT is
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a one-time test score that could’ve been taken on a good day or a bad night's sleep.

Urban Institute’s VP of Education Data and Policy, Matthew M Chingos explained,

“‘students could in theory do well on a test even if they do not have the motivation and

perseverance needed to achieve good grades’” (procon.org). It is the routines

developed in high school, shown by good grades, and reflected in a high GPA, that are

the true indicator of success after high school. Students have to put in the work

overtime to get good grades. Being on time for class, studying for tests and quizzes,

and taking effective notes are all good habits of a good student. The ACT scores only

for correct responses and the score is not penalized for incorrect choices. If a student

did not know the answer to a question on the ACT and guessed he or she had a 20

percent chance of getting the question correct. If he or she did get the question correct

they would earn the corresponding point for that question.

Only academic subjects are tested on the SAT and ACTs. Mathematics, English,

reading, history, and science are among the subjects on the ACT and SAT. While these

are important aspects of a student's future they are not everything a child needs to be

successful. In college, a student will have to manage their own time wholly on their own.

There are many things that “standardized tests do not evaluate [like] creativity,

problem-solving, critical thinking, artistic ability” (procon.org). A student can be able to

recall facts learned in their high school classes and thrive. But put the same student in a

setting like a college with more freedoms and responsibilities and they may not do as

well. Every student has a different skill set, some thrive in a college setting, and for

some college is not their future. Having a general test that measures all students

academically can hurt the child's prospects.

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Originally these tests were not created to be an evaluation of either a student,

teacher or school district (Perry). The principle called Campbell's Law comes into play

in regards to the ACT and SAT. Campbell's Law is the theory that the more a decision is

held to a high social standard, the more often the situation surrounding the decision will

be manipulated. (Experience). Because these tests are held to a degree of such

importance the more they are to be manipulated. Students prepare to take the ACT and

SAT by “learning the test” rather than preparing by learning the material on the test.

Classes are taught by ACT educators how to “beat” the test. They teach students the

ins and out’s of the test and how to think when taking the test. Thes tips and tricks have

nothing to do with the student's ability but everything with cheating the rigged system.

The ACT and SATs, if anything, are standardized. They are the same test for

every child meaning they can facilitate a student's mental comparison to one another.

This comparison is a theory called social comparison. Social comparison explains, “how

we perceive the abilities of others can in turn affect the perception of our own abilities,

impacting on self-confidence (Pulford et al.). A two-year-long study conducted by

Wehrens and others found that over 90% of high school students compare themselves

to other students in similar academic situations. (Pulford et al.). These mental

comparisons cause much of the school-related anxiety seen in high school students. As

a result of the stress and anxiety, the test scores may not reflect the student's academic

abilities. Scoring well on these standardized tests has become equated with having a

good future in most students’ minds, and scoring badly on the test can greatly affect a

student’s confidence. (Ibrahimi). A test can detrimentally affect a student's mental image
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of themselves. All because they may not have guessed one question correctly or

remembered a specific mathematical formula.

After 60 years of the ACT being administered every year in person in a controlled

environment the global pandemic known as Covid - 19 turned the world upside down.

Students suddenly lost a crucial year of education while teachers tried to teach virtually.

The ACT became offered virtually in the fall of 2020 and students did their best to learn

the required material in preparation. Colleges reflected on their admittance and

application process during this time. Many of the applications for the graduating 2021

seniors did not require an ACT or SAT score. College understood that it was an

unprecedented year and that the students should not be penalized. But even a year

later many colleges are continuing a ‘test optional’ status. For the 2020-2021 admission

year ACT and SAT scores will not be required by over 75% of colleges. Some colleges

like “Cornell University and Columbia University [are] the two first Ivy League schools to

announce that they are extending their test-optional policies” (IvyWise). Test optional

means that graduating seniors may choose to provide an ACT or SAT score along with

their transcript but the score is not required. This allowed colleges to look closer at the

students' academics and extracurriculars instead of the ACT or SAT scores.

The test-optional statutes of many colleges and universities are a new

development that threatens to stay. While this may mean hardships for organizations

like CollegeBoard and ACT.inc, it could mean a brighter future for students. During an

interview Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that “the world will not come to an end” if

the federally mandated tests weren’t given — though, for years, state policymakers had

acted as if it would” (Strauss). With Covid - 19 taking away the ACT for a year schools
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were able to see what a future without the ACT would look like. Regular admittance

processes continue as normal without students submitting their scores. This showed

that a future with state-mandated and standardized tests is possible.

Doing away with the SAT and ACTs may raise the question ‘how will we test

students metrically?’. While the SAT and ACTs are standard measures of learning to

test students' academic ability as a whole they are not always fair. As W. James

Popham, Ph.D., stated, “standardized achievement tests should not be used to

determine the effectiveness of a state... There’s almost certain to be a significant

mismatch between what’s taught and what’s tested” (procon.org). While there’s a

standard curriculum being taught, no two teachers introduce material in the same way.

While one teacher may teach one topic in a way that allows the children to absorb all

the material, another may not. Students are also all different. Each student has a

learning style that is specific to them.

While the ACT and SAT may be thought of as fair and standardized tests they

are not. A former test maker and Professor Emeritus at UCLA, W. James Popham,

Ph.D., explains that questions are targeted toward certain demographics to produce a

certain answer (procon.org). This discrimination Popham talks about is elaborated on by

the Manager of Performance Assessments in the Oakland Unified School District,

Young Whan Choi, He says, “It’s not just that the designers have unconscious racial

bias; the standardized testing industry depends on these kinds of biased questions to

create a wide range of scores'' (procon.org). Standardized tests are only standard to a

certain extent. These questions are built off previous knowledge most often held by

white, middle-class students. This bias is no mistake but is carefully calculated during
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the development of the tests. Test makers want to create a range of scores to create

test diversity. The ACT and SATs are rigged on purpose and don’t give all students an

equal chance for a good score.

The ACT and SAT have been used to measure students' academic standings

and track their educational progress for years. These tests assess a student's

academics in hope of predicting a prosperous future. They do not however cover one’s

habits and abilities that are crucial for a successful college and future career. The ACT

and SATs can be ‘taught’. Often teachers will prepare kids to understand the make of

the test rather than the material on the test. These tests are not an even assessment of

all students as they are built off information best known by middle-class white students.

The ACT and SAT have detrimental effects on students' mental health due to mental

comparisons of scores and therefore should be abolished. After 2 years of many

colleges being test-optional or the ACT and SAT not being offered, the trend may

continue to a better future for many students.

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Works Cited

College Board. “8 Things about How Colleges Use Admission Tests – BigFuture.”

Bigfuture.collegeboard.org,

bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/applying-to-college/tests/8-things-to-k

now-about-how-colleges-use-admission-tests.

Ed, Analyze. “Admissions Standards-Composite Score Range.” Is 26 ACT Score

Good?, https://www.analyze-ed.com/26-act-score-is-this-good.html.

---. “What Is a Test-Optional College? – College Board Blog.” Blog.collegeboard.org,

blog.collegeboard.org/what-is-a-test-optional-college#:~:text=What%20Is%20Tes

t%2DOptional%3F. Accessed 28 Mar. 2022.

Experience, World Leaders in Research-Based User. “Campbell’s Law: The Dark Side

of Metric Fixation.” Nielsen Norman Group,

www.nngroup.com/articles/campbells-law/#:~:text=Campbell. Accessed 27 Mar.

2022.

Heimbach, Alex. “Which States Require the ACT? Full List and Advice.”

Blog.prepscholar.com,

blog.prepscholar.com/which-states-require-the-act-full-list-and-advice.

Ibrahimi, Yahya. “Standardized Tests Do Not Capture Students’ Skills, Should Be

Eliminated.” THE ALGONQUIN HARBINGER, 8 Feb. 2021,

arhsharbinger.com/24840/opinion/standardized-tests-do-not-capture-students-ski

lls-should-be-eliminated/#:~:text=Stop%20standardizing%2C%20show%20the%

20student&text=As%20a%20result%20of%20the.
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IvyWise. “List of Colleges Extending Test-Optional Policies.” IvyWise, IvyWise, 2 Feb.

2022,

www.ivywise.com/blog/colleges-going-test-optional/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%207

5%25%20of%20four. Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

Legal Information Institute. “No Child Left behind Act of 2001.” LII / Legal Information

Institute,

www.law.cornell.edu/wex/no_child_left_behind_act_of_2001#:~:text=NCLB%20w

as%20designed%20to%20address.

Nixon, Bryan. “The Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing.” Whitbyschool.org, Whitby

School, 2019,

www.whitbyschool.org/passionforlearning/the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-test

ing.

Perry, Andre M. “Standardized Tests Aren’t the Problem, It’s How We Use Them.”

Brookings, 30 Mar. 2021,

www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/03/30/standardized-tests

-arent-the-problem-its-how-we-use-them/.

procon.org. “Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.” Procon.org, Britannica, 7 Dec. 2020,

standardizedtests.procon.org/.

Perry, Andre M. “Standardized Tests Aren’t the Problem, It’s How We Use Them.”

Brookings, 30 Mar. 2021,

www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/03/30/standardized-tests

-arent-the-problem-its-how-we-use-them/.procon.org.
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Pulford, Briony D., et al. “Do Social Comparisons in Academic Settings Relate to

Gender and Academic Self-Confidence?” Social Psychology of Education, vol.

21, no. 3, 7 Mar. 2018, pp. 677–690, 10.1007/s11218-018-9434-1.

Strauss, Valerie. “Analysis | It Looks like the Beginning of the End of America’s

Obsession with Student Standardized Tests.” Washington Post, 21 June 2020,

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icas-obsession-with-student-standardized-tests/.

“Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.” Procon.org, Britannica, 7 Dec. 2020,

standardizedtests.procon.org/.
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