Reply #25: At least for math does the SAT/ACT offer a predictive [View All]

[exboyfil]

tool for success in math classes? I had a 31 in math coming out of High School, and Purdue looked closely at my placement in math. The score tended towards placement in Calculus I while my High School transcript leaned towards something like Precalculus. Precalculus placement would have been a sharp blow to my course sequencing leaving me behind my peers in engineering and guaranteeing taking five years to graduate with lots of filler classes not directly related to my major. I got an A in Calculus I so the placement appears appropriate in hindsight at least for me.

Now universities have lots of placement tests to handle this situation, but in the early 1980s they only had the ACT/SAT. Is the SAT math section really that much different than math placement tests? I have a hard time seeing, when I look at the test questions, how they are not just math related problems. I have purchased PSAT prep materials for my older daughter, and it looks like math to me.

I see lots of criticism for the SAT/ACT but then how should placement be done? If it is strictly based upon GPA (or even class rank when you have a bunch of 4.0s), you have incredible pressure to inflate grades.

I guess you could resort to some correlation of college GPA from students from particular High Schools.

Another measure could be AP tests for admission. There again that is a lottery that benefits the better schools that can offer those classes.

We have an index for admission (since the admission bar is pretty low in our state - it really does not have much impact). The components of the index are unweighted GPA, class rank, ACT, and the number of courses taken in core subjects (Math, Science, English, Social Studies, and Foreign Languages). Taking a typical performing 30 ACT student (85% class rank, 3.6 GPA, and 24 core courses), the ACT component accounts for 18% of the total index (337 in this case), and the ACT is the only independent assessment of quality of the education. All the others rely on the quality of the high school and the student's peer group at the school. Our local university has $2,500/yr for two years available for an RAI of 320 - the only merit money my younger daughter could expect. One thing is for sure I will not have her take the most difficult Honors math classes and get a B. I will have her take the regular track. She has a real shot at this scholarship.