2008 Woodie Awards
New and Improved SAT's: Fair or Unfair to Students?
Erin Roberts
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: News
As of March 2005, students taking the SAT's will be taking a revised edition of this college entry exam. In the new version of the SAT's, analogies will be eliminated, there will be a student written essay, shorter reading passages, all quantitative comparisons will be eliminated and there will also be a new section containing material from a third-year preparatory math class.
"Why, as a Manhattan College student, do I care? I don't even have to take the test." Even though everyone here at Manhattan College has long put those dreaded SAT's behind them, this issue will be affecting our school. The truth is that any incoming freshman in the class of 2009 will be required to have taken the new SAT. This means they will be taking a test different then the rest of us already here. In fact, the new SAT is meant to be somewhat easier and more geared towards the average student. Is this fair to the current students at beautiful Manhattan College? Were we cheated of possibly higher scores?
A simple random survey of current Manhattan College students shows that the majority of students went with yes; it is in fact fair to our current student population. Over the course of a week, eighty-eight students were surveyed on the issue and were given the chance to voice their opinion. All students were surveyed: freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The questions asked were: 1. Do you think the new SAT is a good idea? 2. Is it fair to you, as a current student, to have taken a possibly harder test? 3. What do you think prompted the change? 4. What is your general attitude/opinion on the new requirement?
As seen from the chart (see figure on page 3), the majority of students surveyed were underclassmen, mostly freshman and sophomores. In both scenarios, both groups agreed that they think it is unfair to have taken a different test. When the upperclassmen were surveyed, however, the majority agreed that it was fair. Now, it could have been that more underclassmen were surveyed so they had more of a chance to come out with the answers they did, or, it could be that the upperclassmen thought about it more. They are supposed to be older and wiser!
"Why, as a Manhattan College student, do I care? I don't even have to take the test." Even though everyone here at Manhattan College has long put those dreaded SAT's behind them, this issue will be affecting our school. The truth is that any incoming freshman in the class of 2009 will be required to have taken the new SAT. This means they will be taking a test different then the rest of us already here. In fact, the new SAT is meant to be somewhat easier and more geared towards the average student. Is this fair to the current students at beautiful Manhattan College? Were we cheated of possibly higher scores?
A simple random survey of current Manhattan College students shows that the majority of students went with yes; it is in fact fair to our current student population. Over the course of a week, eighty-eight students were surveyed on the issue and were given the chance to voice their opinion. All students were surveyed: freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The questions asked were: 1. Do you think the new SAT is a good idea? 2. Is it fair to you, as a current student, to have taken a possibly harder test? 3. What do you think prompted the change? 4. What is your general attitude/opinion on the new requirement?
As seen from the chart (see figure on page 3), the majority of students surveyed were underclassmen, mostly freshman and sophomores. In both scenarios, both groups agreed that they think it is unfair to have taken a different test. When the upperclassmen were surveyed, however, the majority agreed that it was fair. Now, it could have been that more underclassmen were surveyed so they had more of a chance to come out with the answers they did, or, it could be that the upperclassmen thought about it more. They are supposed to be older and wiser!