The truth is...colleges have been using tests like the SAT and ACT as criteria for admission since the 1920s. Today, there are vastly differing views on the role of the tests in the admissions process. The reason the college testing conversation is so controversial and heated is because, to date, there is no solution that is fair, unbiased, and practical to employ. Most people will agree that students are more than their test scores and, for the benefit of both the students and the universities, they should be looked at as whole people with a variety of strengths and abilities. No two students are the same and they should not be judged in a black and white manner that does not allow for individual differences in learning styles, talent or background. Colleges would benefit by accepting a diverse, multi-talented group of students, but as long as test scores are used as a primary criteria, this will not be the case.
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It is clear that people who hold different views on the role that standardized tests should play in college admissions have a lot to learn from one another. While there are at least two sides to the argument, the end goal is the same: to find a fair and effective system of testing students for college admissions.
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