Op-Ed writers at UVA's Cavalier Daily aren't impressed about the recent UC decision to do away with National Merit scholarships:
It's difficult to overstate the influence of the University of California system. Several years ago, criticism of the SAT prompted the College Board, the company which develops and markets the SAT, to completely redesign the test. At that time, the university President, Richard Atkinson, complained that the test was "perceived by many as unfair, and … can have a devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students."As everyone knows, rarely is any test given in high school that isn't perceived as unfair by those students who do poorly. But Atkinson seems to think that no one should have to take a test that might make him feel bad. Even more ridiculous is the main reason behind California's rejection of the SAT and now the PSAT – the accusation that these tests are racist.
Of all the possible flaws a standardized test might have, racism is not one of them. Many critics offer "cultural bias" as an excuse for the poor performance of many minorities, but more National Merit Scholarship money in California went to Asian students than to white students. Few have accused the test of having an Asian bias.
Heh. Funny how Asian students keep getting left out of discussions of "biased" tests.
...the number of minority students who receive an academic merit scholarship shouldn't matter. The only factor that should count is the academic and personal strength of the recipients. Granted, standardized test scores are not the only way to judge merit, and California's officials are now talking about pursuing a "broader definition of merit." This would be fine if it were merit that the University of California were really trying to gauge. But it's hard to believe, after the uproar over the race of National Merit Scholars, that any new definition of "merit" will ignore a person's race, as it should.
Leave it to college students to be so blunt. Good for them.
Posted by kswygert at July 21, 2005 08:11 PM