For nearly a decade, Maine’s high school juniors have had little choice in a testy matter: It has been a state requirement that they take the SAT, the exam colleges have used — and generally required — for decades in admissions decisions.
This spring is the first in which Maine juniors can decide whether they take the exam or not. That’s because this year is the first for a new standardized test for math and English called the Smarter Balanced assessment, based on the Common Core standards, which Maine will administer along with 16 other states.
We’re happy about that change, as we’re eager to see a test based on rigorous standards, delivered via computer instead of paper and pencil, that tests critical thinking and problem-solving — vital skills for college and 21st century jobs. We’re also happy the Maine Department of Education plans to continue paying for high school juniors to take the SAT this year.
To be sure, we’re not huge fans of the SAT or colleges’ widespread reliance on it as a factor in student admissions decisions.
The SAT, with its fast-paced, multiple-choice nature, can be a better indicator of students’ test-taking abilities and participation in prep courses than academic aptitude. And a stellar SAT performance also can be an indicator of family income more than academic aptitude. An analysis of 2014 SAT data by the group FairTest found the average scores of students from families with annual incomes of $200,000 or more exceeded the average scores of students from the lowest-income families by almost 400 points. Plus, the SAT is on its way out to some extent, as more students today take the ACT and more and more colleges stop requiring either test.
So, why are we happy the state will continue, at a cost of $617,000, to pay for students this year to take a test that has limited value in assessing students’ academic achievement and predicting their success in college?
Because the act of simply taking the test, which costs $52.50, can increase the likelihood students will enroll in college — particularly students from low-income families living in rural areas.
A recently released study in the March issue of the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis found that Maine’s requirement that all students take the SAT, which gave Maine the second-highest SAT participation rate, increased the likelihood that students would enroll in a four-year college. By comparing years in which the exam was optional with the first two years when it was mandatory, the researchers found the mandatory SAT was responsible for a 4 to 6 percent boost in the state’s college-going rate. The difference was most pronounced in the state’s rural areas.
Research has shown that even small moves to break down college-going barriers — such as allowing students to send test scores to four colleges instead of three at no charge or making it easier and cheaper to take the SAT or ACT — can make a student more likely to enroll in college. For some Maine students who might not otherwise have considered college, the mandatory SAT pushed them closer to enrolling.
They took the test, perhaps scored better than they expected and started receiving promotional materials from colleges. In the end, it might have been the final push needed to inspire them to enroll.
The researchers who found the mandatory SAT increased college-going unfortunately didn’t find a corresponding bump in bachelor’s degree holders four or five years later. That points to broader improvements needed in Maine’s public schools to prepare students for college and at colleges and universities to keep students from dropping out.
An SAT requirement can’t fix those problems, but it can break down a barrier that keeps some students from continuing their education and, ultimately, improving their lot in life.
