SATs and State Exams

"Let's Add SATs Into the Mix When Holding High Schools Accountable" by Mike Piscal
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-piscal/lets-add-sat-scores-into_b_217989.html

Mike Piscal, founder of the Inner City Education Foundation, raises some interesting points in his blog on The Huffington Post's website. Piscal argues that public schools tailor their teaching to state exams (in this case, California's) and thus leave students, especially low-income ones, unprepared for the SAT. He also notes a disparity between public schools and private or charter schools, which devote more resources to preparing students for the SATs and dismiss the California state exam as having no bearing on future educational opportunity.

The state exams, though, do offer a means for measuring the standards of accountability set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). SAT results are currently available only to individual test takers, so the government cannot use these to track NCLB metrics. Further, state exams are often administered to vocational school students, many of whom do not wish to attend college. Piscal is correct in emphasizing that schools should teach to state exams and SATs, as a large number of students do pursue higher education, yet his argument tends to overlook that not every student wishes to go to college. Piscal would likely argue, though, that focusing public school curricula on the SATs may actually encourage more low-income students to take the test and matriculate at institutions of higher education - an option that they may never have considered before.

Assuming we accept Piscal's argument, what would happen if public schools did focus more on SAT preparation? American high schools have one of the shortest academic years amongst all industrialized nations. The United States' 180 days, compared to Japan's 243, The Netherlands' 200, England's 192, or even France's 185, leaves comparatively little time for teaching a comprehensive high school curriculum (see: http://www.eduinreview.com/blog/2009/03/obama-proposes-longer-school-days-extended-school-year/). Add state exam preparation and a renewed focus on SAT preparation to the mix, and students in public schools may end up underprepared in all of these areas. The gap between public and private schools would then grow larger since private schools would remain exempt from state exam preparation completely.

Piscal does make a strong argument for SAT preparation in public schools, where most low-income students are concentrated, yet he fails to offer a feasible solution for adding one more thing to an already frenzied academic year. Teaching to two tests may actually leave students more confused and less prepared. Moreover, he does not address the simple fact that many students in public schools do not wish to attend college, but do wish to graduate, and thus it makes more sense for them to prepare for a single exam.

Should SAT preparation be a part of public school curriculum, and is this even feasible? What are your thoughts?

Kevin Prior
INeedAPencil Summer Associate
Harvard College 2011