Standardized testing has been a part of my education since about fourth grade. I excelled in reading comprehension, but endlessly struggled with math. I remember in middle school, I receive a perfect score in reading two years in a row (my mom made me read the dictionary everyday, and I used to read a book a day. I should also mention that I wasn't very social. Need I say more?), yet I barely met New York City criteria for mathematics.
My school, Petrides, is a K-12 school; I've been a Petrides student since kindergarten (yep). Initially, the new high school students were admitted through a lottery system; kids who were within the top two percent in standardized testing were generally filled up seats. Today, there is a mixture of so-called "super students" and "underachievers"; some people argue that this has lead to a decrease in the quality of education. But I won't get into that.
No, today, in a world where third graders must pass citywide exams to be promoted to fourth grade, my college admissions decisions may be ruled by...dun dun dun...the SAT.
Didn't that used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test? Most students feel, myself included, that it simply tests our abilities to sit there for five hours and bubble in circles. And your results, regardless of expensive prep courses and private tutors, are conditional to that morning.
Now, it's the SAT I Reasoning Test. Additionally, college applicants probably need to take several SAT II Subject Tests to get into top tier schools.
And it's definitely a way to weasel more money out of stressed out high school students. Consider this: if a typical student takes the SAT Reasoning Test twice, along with two Subject Tests, they're paying $45 per SAT I and $28 for two SAT II's (it costs a baseline fee of $20 for one subject test, and an additional $8 for other subjects. You can only take three subject tests per testing dates. For this alone, that's $118. If you're shooting for the stars and applying to Harvard, Yale or Princeton, you are recommended to take three subject tests, so add an extra eight bucks if that's your dream.
Now, let's factor in AP tests! CollegeBoard recently jacked up the price from $82 to $86. So, I'm taking 4 AP courses: U.S Gov, Lit, Bio, and Calculus AB. That's $344.
Based on these numbers, I'm paying $462 for all of these one-shot tests. And let's not even get into college application fees or prep course costs. I feel ill.
To say the least, the economy's not so hot right now. At this point in time, education is stressed as imperative to our future success; we are constantly told that we will only stand a chance at making a living with a college degree.
Can we afford the time and money? While fee waivers are available to those who need them, it's ridiculous how high these prices have skyrocketed.
Should College Board continue these practices? What (dis)advantages come from these tests? Is it worth the time, money and stress? Let me know what you think!
Regards,
Kanika
I'm paying $462 for all of these one-shot tests.
Yes but... that's less than the cost of just one credit hour at most universities. Your 4 classes are probably equal to about 12 credit hours at a university. That's a full semester. That's an awful lot of savings compared to what you'd be paying in tuition.
Also, talk to your guidance counselor. You may qualify for an AP exam fee reduction or a complete waiver.
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I failed to point out the quality of most of my school's AP classes. We barely get through the curriculum in each class, leaving most students to give up on the test, or attempt to cram in all the information ourselves. Last year, about 2 people received a 3 or higher on the AP American test, out of about 50 students.
Unfortunately for me, I don't qualify for fee waivers either. But you are right - paying for this now can save me a lot of money in the future, so long as I take my schoolwork seriously. Thank you for pointing that out!
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try talking to your teachers about doing AP study sessions out of school time where you like go over old AP exams and stuff. I was lucky enough to have my AP Chem teacher be one of the people who write the exam questions. But for all my AP classes, the teachers stayed after school for us for hours. We ordered pizza and did practice questions for a month leading up to the exams. And we went over study skills too.
If your teachers can't help outside of class, get study groups together with your classmates. Split the cost of 2 or 3 practice exam books and study guides among 5 or 6 students and prepare on your own. But, really, your teachers should be willing to help.
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Currently, study groups in my classes work pretty well, but it's the mantenence of them that makes everyone panic later on (they tend to fall apart after a few months). There are a handful of teachers willing to help us for an extra half hour in the day; some don't really offer that option because the students depicted themselves as apathetic. When it comes to AP tests, maybe it's not the test that bothers me as much as the feeling that I am one of a few motivated to score well on these exams. Dealing with this lack of concern from students rubs off on the teachers, sometimes.
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try to improve the study groups I'm already in and encourage others to do the same!
My Blog: http://progressiveu.org/blog/kkhanna
Well, although the tests are expensive (though my school has reinbursment on the AP tests) I'm a fairly good test taker(the bubble-in on the math helps) and I like the idea of getting awesome scholarships just for getting a score on a test.
Please, remember this when I'm ranting later about how hard the ACT was xD