UC should remove SAT subject test scores as optional supplements

Late November ““ high school seniors scramble to finish their UC applications, proofreading their essays for the 14th time. But some of these seniors will not be submitting their SAT II subject test scores along with their application.

In 2009, the UC Office of the President made the decision to drop the subject tests as a requirement, and this is the first year it will be enacted.

Current UCLA students might remember the subject tests as the annoying little brother of the SAT Reasoning Test ““ it only takes an hour, and the 20 different subject options lend an unfocused feel to the entire endeavor. The UC was right to drop the requirement, but further effort is needed to remove the tests as an optional supplement from the admissions process entirely. The test is a hindrance to financially disadvantaged students and provides little more than a superfluous number to the application.

One of the required subject tests used to be the writing test, but in 2005, it was added onto the SAT Reasoning Test. Since then, studies have shown that the subject test scores have contributed little to the faculty’s ability to choose students, the UCOP said.

High school students are tested so often, this decision is a welcome removal of the burden, said Ron Dietel, an assistant director at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

This is a valid point. In high school, students are bombarded by a tidal wave of standardized tests ““ from state achievement tests to benchmark exams on a regular basis in some districts of California. They are used to testing in class, but the subject tests have become a nuisance requiring out-of-class time. It is nothing more than an add-on to the more important big-name tests, like the Advanced Placement and the SAT Reasoning Test.

In fact, many students choose to take the subject tests around the same time as they take the AP test, because certain ones, like U.S. History, overlap. That way, the student only has to retain relevant information for a couple weeks.

The test does not encourage students to study beyond what they normally study, nor does it provide information that is not already shown through other factors, such as AP tests and grade point averages. The Saturday morning that students get up early to take the subject test may as well be deleted from our repertoire. Students would welcome the extra sleep.

However, the UC still allows subject test scores to be submitted as a supplement to the application, serving as a sort of extracurricular activity. Specifically, students applying to the engineering program at UCLA are encouraged to take the Math Level II test.

This ambiguous language has left many students confused when it comes to the test, according to the Los Angeles Times. Some are choosing to take it because they feel it would leave a hole in their application, and others are relieved that it is no longer required.

UC admissions staff describes their process as “holistic.” The subject test can help to distinguish someone, but they are not entirely necessary in a school that has a comprehensive view of an application.

One reason the subject tests were dropped from the admissions process was because they were an unnecessary barrier for qualified students that did not serve as a strong indicator for academic success, said a spokesperson for the UCOP. He cited financial issues as one of these barriers. Fee waivers are available for the test, but the number is limited and the aid is conducted through the student’s high school, leaving room for variation.

If the subject test is no longer required, a student with financial disadvantages will be unlikely to take the test. In the meantime, a student with no financial limitations can take the subject test. Multiple times.

Dropping the test from the requirements is not the same as dropping it from consideration. And as long as the test remains a factor of consideration, the barrier remains in place.

If the tests were dropped entirely, the funds available for the subject tests could be transferred to the SAT Reasoning test. This would even the playing field and place financially disadvantaged students on the same ground as wealthy students who have taken preparation classes and have the ability to retake the exam.

So why include the subject tests at all? Instead of muddying the waters with vague guidelines and advice, the UC should simply remove all mention of subject tests from the application. This way, students who cannot afford to take the test are not punished, and students who would have otherwise taken it can turn their focus to more constructive ventures.

There are more than enough tests floating around to compensate for the information the subject test provides.

The AP, California Standards Tests, SAT I, ACT and International Baccalaureate tests are already enough to make any high school student never want to hear the phrase “take out your No. 2 pencils” again.

Email Kass at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].