Anshina Verma Q2 Blog #8 - The Racist Roots of the SAT
The SAT, the horrid horrid SAT. I, for one, flinch upon its mention, as I am sure many other juniors and seniors do the same.
First try, 1390, Okay, could be worse.
Second try, 1450, but I need a 1500.
Third try 1470. Gosh.
It's a story I’ve heard one too many times, and frankly, it causes me discomfort. Or I hear stories like this.
First try, 1590.
My heart rate spikes with jealousy upon hearing tall tales of such extreme academic success. But despite many high school juniors' complex love-hate relationship with the SAT, the standardized test has a darker undertone, reflecting a disturbing period in American history. Developed in 1920 by Carl Brigham, the test was built to demonstrate the intellectual superiority of the so-called “Nordic” race, which, by eugenicists, is referred to as the “purest form” of the “Aryan” race. The SAT, today, is a trademark for academic promise and good college acceptances, but we as a society seem to have forgotten its disturbing origins.
America is a racist country at its core, from the time of our founding in New England, to the rise of xenophobia and 9/11 in more recent decades, racism is entrenched in every aspect of our society. This extends to our country’s educational foundation. Education has been viewed as a tool for the elite to contribute to their given societies, an opportunity that was not extended to marginalized groups, such as people of color.
Asides from the SAT’s historical purpose to establish the intellectual superiority of a certain race, it was also created to marginalize and suppress educational opportunities for people of color. The SAT, which worked in combination with literacy tests to ensure the gates of institutions like Harvard, Yale, and UPenn remained closed for blacks and for other people of color.
You might be wondering, what significance do the unsettling origins of the SAT have today? Well, despite the College Board’s statements that the modern SAT has no intention of cementing racial bias, acknowledging the SAT’s initial purpose is essential to combating the growing marginalization of ethnic minorities in American society.
The first step to eliminating, or at the very least, reducing our country’s racist beliefs is addressing them. Recognizing America’s most concerning historical periods and their effects, which are still felt today, is the most crucial factor in minimizing the growing marginalization of ethnic minorities in American Society. Hence, explaining my decision to discuss this topic in this week’s blog. Prior to Thanksgiving break, I was unaware of the racism involved in the SAT’s creation, as I suspect you are all as well, which is why I have decided to research and write my blog about this topic, to play my part in recognizing and changing the racist systems that built our country’s foundation.]
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/racist-beginnings-standardized-testing
Hi Anshina, I wanted to start out by saying that I really enjoyed your blog this week. It was a very insightful, informative, relatable, and enjoyable read. I definitely was unaware of the history behind the SAT. It was definitely shocking to read and find out the true origins of the SAT. To be honest, I always thought that SAT was birthed through the minds of some distinguished professors from prestigious universities who were paid large exorbitant amounts of money by Collegeboard so that they could put their heads together and figure out how to make the life of a high school student miserable. However, I don’t know if it is possible to change anything regarding the SAT or the racism cemented in the education systems of this country. It is now far beyond just trying to marginalize people of color or trying to prevent them from gaining access to education, it is now a million dollar industry. Collegeboard rakes in millions of dollars in SAT fees and that in turn supports small businesses dedicated to SAT tutoring, and colleges, it’s no longer in the hands of the radical racist white supremecist, it’s in the hands of greedy businessmen who are interested in increasing their own wealth, and at times it's unclear which is worse. Thank you for educating me on the origins of the sAYand I appreciated your perspective and desire to try to change these deep rooted systems.
ReplyDeleteThis!!! While the SAT has made a positive shift away from its origins and toward racial equality (at least outwardly), it's honestly ridiculous that a "not-for-profit" organization is allowed to charge high schoolers hundreds of dollars each year for tests they've monopolized...
DeleteHello, Anshina! Given that I’m takin the SAT on Saturday, it seems like everything related to the SAT is popping up around me! I love how you managed to condense that article into such a straightforward explanation; it was very informative while still interesting! At first glance, I really just thought that this was one of those shower thoughts born from a rant to nitpick at the SAT (we all know why), but after reading it, I certainly agree with you. I always suspected that the “standardized test” that costs almost a hundred dollars (just to “fail” and take it again mind you) wasn’t the fairest, but you’ve confirmed that thought! While standardized tests are a great metric for measuring overall competency, the SAT certainly has its flaws. Over the years, test scores for everybody in the country have gone up, and the SAT has transitioned from a racially motivated test to a business-oriented test (albeit still with racist intentions). We need to change that, and some part of the SAT needs to change (I’m just saying, a hundred dollars for one test is a lot of money)
ReplyDeleteThe struggle for that 1500 is painful. Like, I spent the whole summer studying One Prep and Bluebook practice tests but still got an atrociously low score. I’m manifesting the best for your future testing!
ReplyDeleteI’m really glad you brought this up because the racially oppressive history of standardized tests and education in general is shocking. Learning is meant to be accessible--a tool for self-improvement--yet it was and continues to be weaponized against underprivileged groups to marginalize them. I have my issues with the SAT, but I’m grateful that it no longer upholds white superiority in its design.
I took the SAT a little more than a month ago and I can’t imagine ever taking it again, I truly don’t know how anyone could go through that multiple times. I felt like riddles were being thrown at me by a hoard of evil sphinxes, rapid-fire for two hours straight, and if I got too many of them wrong that would be $70 down the drain. I got a better score than I expected, but the schools I am aiming for (art schools like CalArts) probably won’t even look at it! So as I said, I took it once and never again.
ReplyDeleteThe point of me saying this is that there are more problems with the SAT than just its racist origins which are important to talk about in their own right (though I am not particularly surprised by them), starting from the fact that you can take the test as many times as you want, just as long as you can afford it! This has definitely been talked about before as it presents obvious problems for the disadvantaged, being even more securely locked out from opportunities in higher education (yes, some people are eligible to take the test for free, but they can only do so twice that way and there are more bureaucratic hoops to jump through). And, fittingly, this pricing is most likely a lingering side effect of the unfavorable origin of the test formerly known as the “Scholastic Aptitude Test.” Good choice of topic for the last blog of this semester, great job!
Hi Anshina! As someone who just recently took the SAT, I completely agree with your stance that the test is “horrid” and I personally believe that the test still somewhat propagates some level of prejudice today. The test itself is way too much money, and if you fail, you are just expected to pay more money to keep on taking the test till you get the score you like just seems like a scam.
ReplyDeleteBut, Collegeboard itself is a scam, I mean $125 per AP exam? Give me a break! There are some great videos on YouTube by this woman, Leeja Miller, who is a lawyer and has a background in federal law. I remember in one video, she talks about how Collegeboard is essentially a monopoly and how the Ivy League system as well as Collegeboard should be retired due to its racist roots and high pricetag.
In my opinion, I believe that the SAT should be an accessible test for everyone; it should be something like the PSAT that we took earlier this year. We should also make our AP tests significantly more cheaper. My sister only had to pay around $75 only seven years ago! So how did these tests nearly double in price in such a short amount of time?
I honestly just hold such a deep hate for Collegeboard so when I saw your blog I just had to give my thoughts, great job on your last one!