This rejection of intellectual rigor is reflected in their SAT performances, which, whatever else one may wish to say of the tests, are widely accepted as good predictors of student achievement in college. We know, in other words, why black students continue to perform so far beneath the standard set by their white and Asian classmates. He also challenged test makers to come up with a new standardized exam that would do a better job than the SAT of reflecting students experiences in college preparatory courses. But there remains something to be said for the SATs. Though the exam itself is flawed and the weight placed on it by colleges excessive, the SAT remains the only genuinely universal mode of assessment currently available to admissions committees.
Every student is unique, a fact which makes comparison intrinsically difficult.
Likewise, every school is unique. Some schools are nearly ideal learning places, with well-trained staff, fully stocked libraries and enthusiastic students. Others, to put it mildly, are not. The consequence is that what counts as an A at one school is often not the same as what counts as an A at another. What s more, since grade inflation is an increasingly common feature of high school education across the country, it can be difficult to tell the difference between an A that is earned and one that isn t.