This is the third assignment I wrote and was by far the most challenging one. This critical analysis is based on two political cartoons implying lower standards are destroying the SAT. In this analysis, I go into depth on the meaning of these two cartoons as well as the main argument of them both. I then deconstruct and prove the arguments to be wrong. I chose to stray past my previous topic of gang violence in New York since the SAT’s were either nearing or had just past and I wanted to express my viewpoint on the effectiveness of the sat.
The SAT/ACT are ineffective college readiness exams
By: Ruben Genao
In the early 20th century the SAT was formed by the College Entrance Examination Board now known as the College Board to provide a fair test to get into college since at the time colleges used their own examinations to test applicants harshly and college was a privilege of the rich, it was estimated only 1 in 25 got to college. With the creation of the SAT a chance was given to the poor to attend college as everyone was given in essence the same test, since the early 20th century the process of entering college has gone a long way thanks to the SAT, but like the previous test the SAT to has some flaws, the most prominent of which is giving people of higher class a better chance to do good. In political cartoons created by Editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler and Joe Heller respectively, they both express their negative point of view on the 2016 changes to the SAT, an update that in theory made the test easier. College readiness standardized test such as the SAT should be removed in America since they do not test intelligence nor academic standards.
In the first political cartoon created by Nate Beeler, he uses imagery and symbolism to represent a very clear and simple idea. Looking at the political cartoon he demonstrates a hand holding a sharpener which is consuming the pencil into a pile of shavings as to show something represented by the pencil is being worn down. Basing off of that it is already clear that Beeler visions the changes applied to the SAT as something negative. Beeler also uses text to further develop his point. in the cartoon, the sharpener is labeled as “lower standards” and the pencil represents the SAT to show that lower standards are in essence destroying the SAT.
In the second political cartoon, Heller uses imagery to interpret his point. In the political cartoon, three people are displayed having a conversation. In the middle, a woman is informing a man to the left of her about the recent changes to the SAT with a normal face while the man on the right has a worried face reacting to this news. To understand what this means we must refer back to what exactly was changed about the SAT in 2016. According to the Princeton Review some changes in 2016 include “No penalty for wrong answers, so students do not have to worry about losing points for guessing incorrectly. (Just like on the ACT.), There are only 4 answer choices instead of 5. (Just like on the ACT.), Students may be more familiar with some of the vocabulary tested, but they will need to know multiple definitions of those words. Sayonara, sentence completions. Questions require multiple steps to get an answer. The reading passages include complex structure and vocabulary. Foundational math skills are more important. Reasoning and critical thinking skills are paramount. There are fewer sections on the new test, but they are longer in time than the old test” (Princeton Review). Taking this into account one can assume the cartoonist is in disagreement with the generally easier testing conditions and a narrower range of topics that came with the 2016 changes and this true.
In the political cartoon, the author also uses text to further pinpoint his stance on the 2016 edits to the SAT exam. In the political cartoon, he implements three text bubbles for each of the characters, with the middle woman saying “We’re dropping the essay from the SAT”, followed by the man on the right saying “WOW! That’ll just leave a T.” and in response to that message the man on the right responds “Which stands for trouble”. Given this, it is clear the author of this cartoon does not support the changes to the SAT as he demonstrated his dissatisfaction to the removing of the essay in a funny way. It is likely the cartoonist is not just criticizing specifically the extraction of the essay in the SAT but all of the changes since in a political cartoon to keep it engaging and fun the cartoonist must refrain from make it too complex or boring. This is why in the cartoon the author only mentions a major feature of the change instead of the bigger idea or picture. In both political cartoons, the cartoonist is essentially criticizing the SAT for making an attempt to make their tests easier and less stressful for students, blaming lower standards on the SAT or school in general overtime as the cause. They, however, fail to recognize that the SAT has flaws of its own causing the adjustment in the new SAT.
Contrary to the author’s beliefs low academic standards are not ruining the sat, to debunk this argument we must first understand what are academic standards. According to the common core, “Educational standards are the learning goals for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level” (Common Core). Studies show the sat is not a good intelligence test and is not effective in testing what a student really knows, instead it is based more on the resources at your disposal and how you use them. According to prep scholar “The SAT would do a better job of measuring academic ability and intelligence if high schools across the country were all equivalent in their funding and quality, but that is not the case. Students have different educational backgrounds, and this strongly affects performance on the SAT. Many students may have strong combinations of innate intelligence and perseverance but are unable to utilize these qualities to do well on the SAT due to circumstances beyond their control. These students might lack the extra time they need to prep, or they might not even know how to begin the prep process because their schooling so far has been low quality“ (PrepScholar). As shown the SAT has nothing to do with academic standards as it does not test you on what you have learned. Furthermore, on a logical standpoint, it is far fetched to think just one test can predict if you have reached your academic standards better than a transcript that contains 4 years of your high school achievements. Many agree the SAT is only used because colleges have no other manner of differentiating students from different areas and backgrounds.
Aside from this the SAT also gives a notable advantage to families of higher income, most commonly white kids who are generally in richer families and have tutors and paid prep at their disposal. Besides this advantage, some rich families can even theoretically cheat on the SAT. Some of these cases include paying doctors for a fake diagnostic in order to be granted extra time. According to the New York Post “When it comes to getting into top colleges, well-heeled parents will do anything to give their kids a leg up on the competition. An increasingly common tactic is getting kids extra time on the ACTs and SATs because of a psychological diagnosis that may or may not be legitimate. Previously, the testing companies alerted colleges when students received extra time, but they stopped doing so in 2003, opening the door for abuse. “Parents with means will stop at nothing to get their kid into college — that is what they do,” says Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, an education lawyer and staunch opponent of the accommodation abuse.” in this manner the SAT is probably LOWERING academic standards for some as they can rely on cheating to get a good score. According to CBS “For Sam Eshaghoff, getting a high score on the SAT college admissions exam was more than a point of pride. It was a lucrative business. As Alison Stewart reports, other students paid Eshaghoff up to $2,500 each to take their tests using easily manufactured fake IDs. His scam came crashing down in fall 2011 when he was arrested for criminal impersonation and fraud. Eshaghoff has since accepted a plea deal, but the case still raises major questions about the integrity of the test itself.” academic standards are not to blame for the SAT being constantly edited and discredited as the SAT fails to test such standards instead of allowing people with more resources to come up on top.
The SAT is flawed in many ways and because of this reason the SAT has and will continue to be redesigned and adjusted. In its current state, the SAT benefits richer families and does not adequately test anything besides test-taking skills and has nothing to do with academic standards, when it comes to the SAT poorer minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics face a disadvantage since we lack the background and resources to match richer families. This makes it possible for a rich person with the average skill to achieve the same or an even higher score than a naturally talented Hispanic or Black student. The sats must be removed or reformed to give a fair opportunity to all students. Changes to the SAT have nothing to do with diminishing standards are attributed to the many downsides the SAT presents.
Works Cited
“Changes to the SAT: Cartoons of the Day.” The Idea Log,
blogs.denverpost.com/opinion/2014/03/16/cartoons-day-changes-sat/42796/#disqus_thread.
“The New SAT. We’re ON IT.” The New SAT. We’re ON IT. | The Princeton Review,
www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-changes#!tab1.
“The Perfect Score: Cheating on the SAT.” CBS News, CBS Interactive,
www.cbsnews.com/news/the-perfect-score-cheating-on-the-sat/. Accessed Apr 4.
“What Are Educational Standards?” What Are Educational Standards? | Common Core State
Standards Initiative, www.corestandards.org/faq/what-are-educational-standards/.
Strauss, Valerie. “Study: High School Grades Best Predictor of College Success – Not
SAT/ACT Scores.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 21 Feb. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/21/a-telling-study-about-act-sat-sc ores/?utm_term=.04254baff6d8.
