Comments on: CUNY Raising SAT Math Score Cutoff http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/ Strength in Numbers Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:35:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rob T. http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-2453 Rob T. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:06:18 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-2453 Neil is right. This sort of over-emphasis on the SAT's is ridiculous. Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT's would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas. Neil is right. This sort of over-emphasis on the SAT’s is ridiculous.

Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT’s would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas.

]]> By: Rob T. http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49677 Rob T. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:06:00 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49677 Neil is right. This sort of over-emphasis on the SAT's is ridiculous. Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT's would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas. Neil is right. This sort of over-emphasis on the SAT’s is ridiculous.

Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT’s would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas.

]]> By: Neil http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-844 Neil Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:50:59 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-844 This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn't measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words - the SAT doesn't seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned. This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn’t measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words – the SAT doesn’t seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned.

]]> By: Neil http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49676 Neil Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:50:00 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49676 This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn't measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words - the SAT doesn't seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned. This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn’t measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words – the SAT doesn’t seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned.

]]> By: Nathan http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49675 Nathan Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:12:00 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49675 Good question. In many cases, we have to make graphics with the data that is given to us or with what we can find. With this graphic, all we had were averages. About 0 and 100, yeah, you're right. The lowest score you can get on the SAT is 200, and I should have made that evident on the y-axis. Finally, why the choice of the bar chart? You're pretty much going to find only line, bar, and bubble in The Times (from what I've seen so far), so I went with bar :P Good question. In many cases, we have to make graphics with the data that is given to us or with what we can find. With this graphic, all we had were averages.

About 0 and 100, yeah, you’re right. The lowest score you can get on the SAT is 200, and I should have made that evident on the y-axis.

Finally, why the choice of the bar chart? You’re pretty much going to find only line, bar, and bubble in The Times (from what I’ve seen so far), so I went with bar :P

]]> By: anon. http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49674 anon. Mon, 13 Aug 2007 05:26:00 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2007/07/28/cuny-raising-sat-math-score-cutoff/#comment-49674 Shouldn't you show distributions, not averages? And why a bar chart? I don't think there's even a 100 on the SATs, let alone a 0. Shouldn’t you show distributions, not averages? And why a bar chart? I don’t think there’s even a 100 on the SATs, let alone a 0.

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