Hey, I finally got some new hate mail - and it was in the comment section of a post that had nothing to do with the original post that upset the mailer. Given that they left it in a comment, I figure they want it public, so here it is:
I read an old entry of yours from February 11, 2004 about your stand on the SAT. I am quite angered by what you wrote, but I will try to be civil and tolerant in my response.
I have to say, I truly feel bad for you, because you clearly don't understand the SAT, what it does to children and, how useless it is. Also, the fact that you think it is unbiased is absurd, because it clearly is. A rich, white child who has the money to afford an SAT prep course or tutoring has a clear advantage over a poor child that cannot. As for it being an "aptitude" test (which even ETS has admitted it is not, which is why the SAT no longer stands for "scholastic aptitude test")I know dozens of people that did terribly on the test and have become brilliant doctors, lawyers and what have you. I also know people who aced the test, but now live in penury, and do not have the intelligence to get anywhere in life.
Things such as GPA are much more important in measuring a childs school performance because it is a direct reflection of their school work. SAT tests are a disgustingly unfair way to measure a childs abilities. I don't see how being able to awkwardly interpret a completely irrelevant passage about something such as farmers in Idaho or different ways to cook vegetables can be even mildly considered as an accurate measure of a childs ability to excel in something like biochemistry, or dentistry.
You clearly are someone that is not insightful or considerate to those less fortunate. I suggest that you read this book: "None of the Above: The Truth Behind the SATs" by David Owen. Hopefully it will help you understand this issue. Please keep your mind open, and come to think of people other than yourself.
I suppose I should keep an open enough mind to be swayed by the uncited, anecdotal evidence that the commenter feels is proof that the SAT is completely useless. I also suppose I should do a better job of explaining validity, reliability, correlations, and all those other things that could possibly help people like this commenter understand what test bias really is, and why anecdotes like this don't necessarily have anything to do with it. I could point out that I have said, several times, that I think colleges should be free to cease using the SAT in admissions, because I understand that the test could be useful and valid for predicting college performance in one environment, and not as useful in another. I could also point out that perhaps rich kids might do better on the SAT because they have the advantages in life that allow them to better prepare scholastically in every sense of the word, and that this disparity is not exactly limited to standardized tests.
Or I could just sit here and goggle at the fact that, of all the pro-test posts I've put up over the last three years, what got this pinhead exercised enough to write was an article in which I said virtually nothing. I just noted that the Cornell Sun was defending the SAT. All the pro-SAT comments in the post were quotes from the Sun article. I mean, surely I've said many other things over the years which would piss off the anti-testing hordes more than that. It's like this guy wasn't even trying.
(Hmmm... Did one of you Devoted Readers write me some fake, irrational hate mail just because you knew it would cheer me up to be able to slap it around on the front page? 'Fess up, now! If in fact you did that, I appreciate it. It's a lovely gesture.)
Anyway. As you know, I've had a bad week, and it's Friday. And I have the feeling that this person calling me names, and telling me that I don't have an open enough mind (you mean, like how open this pinhead is to the idea that the SAT could have some use in college admissions?), will not be influenced by any information I give, or arguments that I cite. I have the feeling that this person just wanted a soapbox (for which I'm paying, of course) on which to stand to bitch and moan about how unfair it is that some "children" do better on the SAT than others.
So here's their soapbox. If you want to respond, the comments are open. I won't be back until 12 or so, because I've got a Morbid Angel show to attend.
Update: Hey! The Morbid Angel show was great! Lots of good energy. Dave and I took goofy photos of ourselves with our cell phone cameras (on this one, he looks especially goofy because while I was photographing us with my phone, he was talking to someone else on his phone). Afterwards, we went to our favorite restaurant (the Troc is in Chinatown). It's easy to find - it has lots of aquariums in the front. Not for decoration - it's all entrees.
Posted by kswygert at February 25, 2005 05:12 PM