Assessment and Accountability
Abstract
Students with high scores and high school grade point averages have a high capability of succeeding in colleges, depending on their reservation and graduation rates. An institutions ability to attract better-prepared students increases its academic reputation. At the end of high school, externally set examinations, the SAT/ACT assessments tests get set to achieve this. These tests scores contribute to college performance prediction, but their admissions role varies across the colleges. Studies obtain the impacts these tests have on minor communities, such as African-American children. The test scores are the most critical admission factor. Still, some institutions see the test score requirements as a barrier to campus diversity due to their high socioeconomic and ethnic performance gaps. The results show that the SAT and ACTs create achievement gaps in the African American communities compared to the other organization. Alternative assessment tests get used to reduce the achievement gaps between the whites and the minor assemblies. The impact the assessments have on the educational practitioners and how to improve the community curriculum in general.
Table of Contents
Abstract 2
Introduction 4
Trends in the admission of students to schools 5
College admission procedures 5
Standardized testing and accountability 6
Progress towards meeting towards the ACT and SAT readiness in schools 7
Types of bias present in standardized testing. 7
Standardized testing and African-Americans 8
Test preparation and test scores 9
History 9
The factors impacting the Black-White SAT/ACT Gap 10
SATS, ACTs, and the top and bottom scores in black students. 12
Alternative methods of implementing assessments, accountability to African Americans 13
Affirmative action and test preparation strategies 15
Conclusions 16
References 17
Introduction
The curriculum is the basis of the teaching and learning process. The development of study programs, learning and teaching resources, lesson plans, and student and teacher education assessment are all part of the curriculum. The curriculums story appears to be the primary concern to educators, governments, and parents as it impacts society and community development. With the recent educational developments, there have been implications to the skills and understandings in the curriculums and assessments the teachers develop in onboarding and practice. The assessments measure a students performance and accountability systems. The policies implemented have asserted that the high standards apply to all students and the standards-based reforms focus on all children despite the ethnicity. Among Americans, equity is a social value that gets upheld. The public expects public schools to provide all students an opportunity (William, 2014). A cause of concern has get expressed by many parents, community members, and social groups voicing their concerns on academic learning achievements. The levels are measured using standard standardized tests such as the state-mandated tests used to direct the No Child Left Behind program (William, 2014), the academic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the American College Testing Program. College officials use the SAT or the ACT scores when viable alternatives determine admission rates to colleges and universities. There are many impacts of using SAT and ACT scores; the college and university officials use the standardized methods to admit students to universities even though there are other alternative methods.
Trends in the admission of students to schools
There is an increasing number of minority groups getting admitted to higher educations. The universities attract many nontraditional students such as older students, international students, and home-schooled students. Many communities have been undergoing primary and secondary reforms by including national, state, and district curriculum standards. In many states, the bars get used to determine the attainment of standards. Some tests used are the performance enhancement tests. The reforms change the students education and information (Burton& Ramist, 2001). The assessment tests enable the colleges and universities to know...
…the SAT and ACTs.
Affirmative action and test preparation strategies
Lowering the entrance requirements to first-class schools increases the black students choices by placing more choosy institutions into the mix. Such an action can affect the test preparation behavior that most black students have by boosting their aspirations for a type of education that is not within their reach. Cultivating aspirations and ambitions in the black students before making admission decisions helps them make concrete plans for higher education and motivates them to improve their test scores and become more engaged in test preparations. Students come up with test preparation strategies after weighing down the costs of practices. Test improvements in low-scoring blak students open doors to more colleges when they benefit from the superior medical experience and financial aids. High-scoring black students improving their test scores allows them to add more selective colleges to their lists (Alon, 2010). For whites, low test preparation levels are present for low scores. Many blacks admitted to very selective schools mainly used private preparation activities less than those who ended up in less demanding schools.
Conclusions
ACT and SAT are standardized tests used to assess students readiness for college. The tests measure mathematics, reading, and writing with combined scores ranging from 400-1600. They are used in college admissions and are required for the freshmans entry to many colleges and universities. Black students have lower SAT scores than their white and Asia counterparts. The persistence of the racial differences in the scores is due to the social, economic differences; family characteristics have a more significant impact on African American childrens performance than any other features. The parent-student interactions have an immense effect on vocabulary and critical-based discussions. The SAT scores have been predictors of college success, but it has not been more successful in predicting African American students college…
