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Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 6/26/08 Section: News
Students to select SAT scores
College Board to allow students to choose which scores to send
Lara Seligman
While to the average college student taking the SATs may just be a painful memory, for current high school juniors the experience may become considerably less stressful.
Beginning in March 2009, students will be allowed to choose which of their SAT scores colleges see, the College Board announced last week.
Currently, if a student sends one score to a school , that school is also privy to all that student's scores - good and bad. But, with this new move, high school students are now able to increase their scores without revealing to colleges the number of times it took to get them to that final score.
College admissions consultant Steve Goodman said that, with this decision, the College Board is bringing a 10-year-old policy back to life.
"The original idea was to give students more choice as to where they could send their SATs," he said. "The College Board stopped it because … too many students were taking too many tests and it was taking time away from academics."
While these concerns are still valid, many believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
"I think it's a student's right to have a choice," said college admissions consultant Michele Hernandez. "This decision is long overdue."
Students are also enthusiastic about the College Board's recent decision.
"I think it's a great idea," said Lower Merion High School senior Kelly Kempf, who will be taking SAT subject tests next spring. "Personally, one of the reasons I took the ACTs [instead of the SAT I] is that I was so concerned with getting one bad score."
However, students are not the only group benefiting from the decision.
Now that students know colleges will only see their best scores, they also realize the more times they take the test, the better they will perform.
Given the large number of students taking the tests and the fees those students will pay, the College Board will benefit from this decision as much the students will.
Beginning in March 2009, students will be allowed to choose which of their SAT scores colleges see, the College Board announced last week.
Currently, if a student sends one score to a school , that school is also privy to all that student's scores - good and bad. But, with this new move, high school students are now able to increase their scores without revealing to colleges the number of times it took to get them to that final score.
College admissions consultant Steve Goodman said that, with this decision, the College Board is bringing a 10-year-old policy back to life.
"The original idea was to give students more choice as to where they could send their SATs," he said. "The College Board stopped it because … too many students were taking too many tests and it was taking time away from academics."
While these concerns are still valid, many believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
"I think it's a student's right to have a choice," said college admissions consultant Michele Hernandez. "This decision is long overdue."
Students are also enthusiastic about the College Board's recent decision.
"I think it's a great idea," said Lower Merion High School senior Kelly Kempf, who will be taking SAT subject tests next spring. "Personally, one of the reasons I took the ACTs [instead of the SAT I] is that I was so concerned with getting one bad score."
However, students are not the only group benefiting from the decision.
Now that students know colleges will only see their best scores, they also realize the more times they take the test, the better they will perform.
Given the large number of students taking the tests and the fees those students will pay, the College Board will benefit from this decision as much the students will.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
Angry Sophomore
posted 6/26/08 @ 9:27 AM EST
Ridiculous, what a wonderful ploy to profit has this floundering and mistrusted institution created. hate collegeboard evil!
seaghost
Xavier
posted 6/26/08 @ 6:23 PM EST
What exactly is the great benefit to this new policy? Don't schools only consider students' highest scores as it is?
buy salvia
posted 6/27/08 @ 12:53 PM EST
I wish it was this way back when I was in high school. I personally took the ACT just because it allowed me to choose which score to send. Words cannot describe how much that lowers stress levels on the day of the test. (Continued…)
penn '11
posted 6/28/08 @ 11:19 PM EST
Although colleges may say they only look at a student's best combined scores, the other scores are still very visible. If you took the SAT ten times before you finally cracked a 600 in math, I'm sure that would throw off some red flags in the admissions department. (Continued…)
rich white establishment 1, justice 0
posted 6/30/08 @ 4:32 PM EST
wonderful. "not only will students benefit, the college board will benefit too!"
in case we forgot: SAT scores are a zero-sum game. this doesn't "benefit" anyone but the college board and those lucky few who can afford more tests--and even they will be suffering ever more exams. (Continued…)
Former Admissions Officer
posted 7/05/08 @ 10:11 PM EST
Most admissions offices (I've worked in 5) receive SAT scores by computer tape, not on paper. The colleges' computers pick out the top scores in each required exam and those are usually the only ones even printed on the forms for the admissions officer to read. (Continued…)
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