A sacred cow that reformers challenge at their peril. A license to print money for the educational testing industry. All of the above. What concerns Atkinson is not that the SAT is used by most colleges as a determining factor in admitting students, but that it is misused by some. He also says he fears that the test is harming education by altering curriculums and enlisting students for its drill as early as eighth grade.
Parents can now see how their kid measures up against everyone else's with a single test score.
If they get one, they can set their sights on the target and aim their kid like a missile. Such maneuvers worry the folks at admissions offices around the country. Harvard, America's most competitive university, says it wants a happier, healthier and more well-rounded applicant. Meanwhile, it is not so difficult to figure out what the testing industry wants. And the SAT isn't the only game in town.