The SAT debate will never end

Now that MIT has decided to reinstate the SAT in its admissions, the controversy over the test has reignited (“MIT Leads the Way in Reinstating the SAT,” The Wall Street Journal, Apr. 6). I maintain that the debate will never end for reasons not clearly understood.

Those in believe in democratization in higher education vilify the SAT, while those who believe in differentiation applaud it.  That’s the fundamental reason too often overlooked.  I made that point in a letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal on April 8.  Yes, there are reasons to oppose it on technical grounds, such as how the test is constructed, and on socioeconomic grounds, such as why low-income students don’t ace it, but those are secondary.

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