{"id":2145088,"date":"2024-01-10T04:12:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T09:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-finally-admits-the-lefts-war-on-standardized-tests-was-misguided\/"},"modified":"2024-01-10T04:22:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T09:22:42","slug":"new-york-times-finally-admits-the-lefts-war-on-standardized-tests-was-misguided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-finally-admits-the-lefts-war-on-standardized-tests-was-misguided\/","title":{"rendered":"NYT admits left&#8217;s misguided war on standardized tests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-york-times-finally-admits-the-lefts-war-on-standardized-tests-was-misguided%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2145088&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The New York Times Admits Leftists&#8217; War on Standardized Tests\u2063 Was &#8220;Misguided&#8221;<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The New York Times dropped a bombshell last weekend \u2062by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/07\/briefing\/the-misguided-war-on-the-sat.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitting<\/a> the leftists\u2019 war on standardized \u200ctests such as\u2064 the SAT was \u201cmisguided\u201d after the paper has cheered\u2064 for it for years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For decades, leftists have waged war against standardized\u200c tests\u2062 such\u2064 as the SAT and ACT as part of college admissions,\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.org\/nea-today\/all-news-articles\/racist-beginnings-standardized-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> these \u200btests are racially, economically, and even gender \u201cbiased\u201d against black and brown children and girls,\u200d have little predictability for a student\u2019s future success, and \u200dare \u200bthe root cause of persistent academic performance gaps among students of various ethnic groups.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-799537298\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e8295a2c9c8ed605823c5bc902e35209 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e8295a2c9c8ed605823c5bc902e35209\"><\/div>\n<p>One of \u2062the loudest opponents of standardized tests is teachers unions. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers,\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rweingarten\/status\/1412482850729963521\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> in\u200d a tweet: \u201cStandardized testing doesn\u2019t help kids learn,\u2064 and it doesn\u2019t help teachers teach.\u201d Her claim was self-serving because \u200dshe and the unions have vehemently rejected\u200b any objective \u200bmeasures that demonstrate \u200chow much\u200d the union-controlled schools have failed American children.<\/p>\n<p>Leftists\u2019 relentless \u2062attacks on standardized \u200ctests finally \u200bpaid off. By 2022, responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide racial reckoning sparked by George Floyd\u2019s death, more than <a href=\"https:\/\/fairtest.org\/schools-do-not-use-sat-or-act-scores-admitting-substantial-numbers-students-bachelor-degree-programs\/\">1,700<\/a> American colleges and universities, including dozens \u200cof elite \u200bones, had dropped SAT and ACT scores \u2063from their college\u2062 admissions processes. Leftists claimed such\u2062 a move would make college admission more \u201cequitable,\u201d \u200cbenefiting black and brown children \u200bfrom disadvantaged\u200d backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, a\u200d couple of years into this experiment, some, including college administrators, began to wonder if\u2064 the war on standardized tests was \u2063\u201cmisguided.\u201d David\u200b Leonhardt, a longtime Times reporter on\u200d higher education, wrote this weekend\u2019s story questioning the wisdom of leftists\u2019\u200b war on SATs from several perspectives.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Proof Standardized Tests Are Useful<\/h2>\n<p>First, \u2064study after study, including recent\u200d research, has \u200brepeatedly proven \u2062that \u2064standardized \u2063tests are strong predictors of a student\u2019s success in college and later in life.\u2063 According to\u200c Leonhardt, \u201can <a href=\"https:\/\/opportunityinsights.org\/paper\/collegeadmissions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">academic \u200bstudy<\/a> released last summer by the group \u200bOpportunity Insights, covering the so-called Ivy Plus colleges (the eight in \u2064the Ivy League, along with \u2064Duke, M.I.T., Stanford, and the University of Chicago), showed little relationship between high school grade point average and success in \u200bcollege. The researchers found a strong\u200c relationship \u2064between test scores and later \u200dsuccess.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0f8e058a6356a6095b827f1f45ea81be fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0f8e058a6356a6095b827f1f45ea81be\"><\/div>\n<p>The finding is consistent with\u2062 other similar research, including a 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/senate.universityofcalifornia.edu\/_files\/underreview\/sttf-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> by the University of \u200dCalifornia, a 2007 <a href=\"http:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/record\/2007-03168-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> \u2063from the \u200cjournal <em>Science<\/em>, and <em>other research<\/em> \u2063 published by <em>Psychological Science<\/em>. All this research\u200c has demonstrated a\u200d clear correlation between SAT\u2064 scores and a student\u2019s academic and career\u2063 accomplishments.<\/p>\n<p>Second, after\u2063 colleges \u2064dropped standardized test scores from their admissions, they have relied\u200b heavily \u2062on factors such as students\u2019 GPAs, extracurriculars, and essays, which are problematic in \u2063their\u2062 own ways. GPAs are ineffective predictors of academic success due to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/23\/opinion\/grade-inflation-high-school.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grade\u2062 inflation in recent years<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leonhardt says, \u201cAffluent students can participate in expensive activities, like music lessons and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-country-spending-80-million-in-covid-relief-funding-on-sports-complex\/\" title=\"Michigan Country Spending  Million in COVID Relief Funding on Sports Complex\">travel sports teams<\/a>, that \u2063strengthen \u200dtheir applications. These same students often receive extensive editing\u2064 on their essays from their\u200b well-educated parents. Many affluent students attend private schools where counselors \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/24\/briefing\/college-admissions-elite-students.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">polish each\u2063 student\u2019s application<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, by replacing the SAT and ACTs with essays and extracurriculars, the colleges have\u2064 failed to achieve their equity goal because they \u201chave\u2064 even \u200clarger racial and economic biases.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ff3894839b3a850c5503ba6a9eb4d9ea fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ff3894839b3a850c5503ba6a9eb4d9ea\"><\/div>\n<p>Without including an objective measure \u2064such as the SAT or ACT, \u201cthe students who suffer most are those \u2064with high grades at relatively\u2063 unknown high\u2064 schools, the kind \u200bthat rarely send kids to the Ivy League,\u201d Harvard economist David\u2064 Deming\u2064 told the New\u2063 York Post. \u200bFor those talented and hard-working kids \u2063from disadvantaged \u2064backgrounds, the SAT or ACT score is their \u200c\u201clifeline\u201d\u200c that enables them to pull themselves\u200b out of poverty \u200dand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/class-action-settlement-deadline-to-file-claim-in-9-75-million-freedom-financial-network-settlement-today\/\" title=\"Today is the last day to file a claim in the .75 million Freedom Financial Network class-action settlement\">achieve upward social mobility<\/a>, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Third, leftists have\u200c insisted that the disparity in SAT and ACT scores\u200b results from wealth disparity because affluent\u200b families can afford expensive test prep \u200ccourses to improve their kids\u2019\u200d SAT or ACT scores. This assertion has long been debunked, and\u2063 in 2010 the \u200dPrinceton Review company dropped its claims that its \u2063\u201cUltimate Classroom\u201d SAT preparation course would dramatically improve a student\u2019s test score. A study \u2063by \u200dthe Fordham Institute found more Asian students\u200b from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-answer-to-closing-education-gaps-is-not-race-or-wealth-but-family-values\/\" title=\"Closing education gaps does not depend on race or wealth, but rather on family values.\">lowest socioeconomic status<\/a> (whose mothers didn\u2019t\u200b graduate from high school) \u2064outperformed the highest socioeconomic status black and Hispanic students\u2063 in reading and\u2064 math.<\/p>\n<p>Since the disparities in SAT \u2064scores across racial and ethnic groups are consistent\u200b with the disparities in results \u2063of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test\u200d that\u200d measures K-12 learning, some on the left are finally willing to admit that \u201cthe disparities\u200c in SAT scores are a symptom, not a cause, of inequality in the\u200b US,\u201d or, \u201cTo put it another way, the existence of racial and economic\u200b gaps in SAT and ACT scores doesn\u2019t prove that the tests are biased,\u201d the Times reports. Thus, eliminating SATs and ACTs \u2063only hides rather than eliminates the racial \u2063gaps in education outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, some college admission officers\u200c found it easier to differentiate students with an objective and predictive measure such as an SAT or ACT score. MIT\u2019s admissions dean told Leonhardt that without test scores, admissions officers either \u201chave to guess which \u2063students\u2064 were likely to do well at M.I.T. \u2014 and almost certainly guess wrong sometimes, rejecting \u200bqualified applicants\u200c while admitting weaker\u200d ones. Or M.I.T. would need to\u200c reject more students from less advantaged high schools and admit more \u2062from the private schools\u200b and advantaged public schools that have a strong record of producing well-qualified students,\u201d which likely results in\u200d a less \u200ddiverse student body.<\/p>\n<p>MIT\u2019s own study \u2062also \u2062\u201cfound that students who had been accepted despite \u200dlower test scores were more\u2062 likely to struggle or \u2064drop out.\u201d Unsurprisingly,\u200b MIT reinstated the \u2064SAT or \u200bACT score requirement as part of its college admissions in 2022.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Times Finally Acknowledges the Data<\/h2>\n<p>The Times\u2019 conclusion that the left\u2019s \u201cmisguided\u201d war \u2063on SATs has failed to make higher education more \u201cequitable\u201d and has done a disservice\u200b to students from disadvantaged backgrounds is not \u2064surprising. Many \u200dconservatives, including myself, \u200dwarned\u2062 about it several years \u200cago. What is surprising is that the Times, after serving as Democrats\u2019\u2062 mouthpiece for so \u2063long, would raise questions about one of their favorite causes.<\/p>\n<p>The timing of this piece probably resulted from the ripple effect of the recent resignation \u200dof\u2063 Harvard University\u2019s former president, Claudine Gay. Gay was forced to \u200cresign due to her \u2064failure to condemn\u200c antisemitism on campus\u200c and the mounting\u200c evidence of her alleged plagiarism. Gay\u2019s resignation signals that DEI (so-called \u200bdiversity, equity, \u2064and inclusion), the ideology that has sacrificed meritocracy and worsened racial divisions on college campuses and other institutions, is beginning to crack. Therefore, some moderates on the left finally find it \u200dsafer to disapprove of specific\u200b leftist causes without having to worry about being canceled.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, America still has a long way to go to repair the damage caused \u200cby \u200dDEI. For \u2064instance, many college administrators told the Times that despite all the evidence and \u2062research, \u200cthey are still reluctant to reinstate SAT or ACT \u2064scores, fearing \u201cthe political reaction on their campuses and in the media if they reinstated tests.\u201d I\u2019m also disappointed that the Times has failed to\u200b call out the real objective of \u200beliminating SAT or ACT in college admissions, which is to discriminate against Asian students. Without standardized tests, college admission officers can focus on racial quotas and reject \u200bacademically qualified Asian American applicants without leaving a paper trail.<\/p>\n<p>Still,\u200c the \u200cnews of\u200d several states\u2019 bans on DEI bureaucracy in \u200ctheir state university systems, Gay\u2019s resignation, and this Times piece on the SAT give me hope that DEI\u2019s hold on our higher education is starting to crumble, and\u2064 some positive changes are coming.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What is \u200dthe\u2062 significance of The New York Times&#8217;\u2062 acknowledgment that the left&#8217;s war on standardized tests was misguided?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The New York Times recently made a surprising admission regarding the leftists&#8217; war on standardized\u200d tests such\u200c as the SAT. The newspaper acknowledged that this war, which it\u2062 had\u2064 previously supported, was\u200c &#8220;misguided.&#8221; For \u200cyears, leftists have \u2063argued against the use \u200bof standardized tests in \u200dcollege admissions, claiming\u2062 that they are \u2063biased against certain racial and socioeconomic groups and \u200cdo not accurately predict a student&#8217;s future\u200b success. \u2064However, recent evidence has shown the \u200bvalue of standardized tests and \u200cquestioned the effectiveness of the alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>One of \u2062the strongest\u2064 opponents of standardized tests has been teachers unions, such as the \u200bAmerican \u2064Federation of Teachers. Randi Weingarten, the president of \u200dthe \u200dunion, has\u2064 stated that\u200d standardized testing does not benefit students \u200bor teachers. However, this claim seems to be self-serving\u2063 as it\u200c deflects \u2062attention from the failure of union-controlled schools to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/antisemitic-hate-crimes-doubled-in-nyc\/\" title=\"Antisemitic Hate Crimes Doubled NYC\">provide quality education<\/a> for American children.<\/p>\n<p>The left&#8217;s criticism of standardized \u2062tests gained momentum in recent\u200c years, leading\u200c to an increasing number of colleges \u2062and universities eliminating the use of test scores in their admissions processes. The argument\u2062 was \u2062that this change would create a more equitable\u2063 system and\u200d benefit disadvantaged \u200bstudents. However, as time goes on, \u200csome\u2064 college administrators are starting to question \u2063the wisdom of this decision.<\/p>\n<p>A significant body of research supports the\u200c use of standardized tests as predictors of success in college and beyond. Studies have consistently shown a strong correlation\u200d between test scores and academic and \u2062career accomplishments. For example, a study\u2063 released by\u2064 Opportunity Insights, which focused on Ivy League \u2063colleges and other \u200bprestigious institutions, \u2062found a strong relationship between test scores and later success in college.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u2062 colleges that rely heavily on other factors such\u200c as GPAs, extracurriculars, \u200cand essays have created\u2063 their own\u2064 set of \u2062problems. GPAs, for example, have\u2062 become unreliable predictors \u2063of academic success\u200d due to grade\u200b inflation. Additionally, students from affluent backgrounds often have advantages in extracurricular activities and polished\u2064 essays \u200ddue to their access to resources and \u2063parental \u2063guidance. By replacing standardized tests with these subjective\u200b measures, colleges have failed to achieve their goal\u2062 of equity and, in\u2063 fact, may have even exacerbated racial and economic biases.<\/p>\n<p>Another \u200bargument\u200c made by the left\u2062 is that test\u2064 scores are influenced by wealth disparity\u2064 because wealthier families\u200c can afford expensive test\u200b prep courses. However, studies have debunked this claim, demonstrating \u200cthat Asian \u2062students\u200b from low socioeconomic backgrounds often outperform \u2064black and Hispanic students from higher\u2062 socioeconomic\u200b backgrounds.\u2063 The disparities in test scores \u2064across racial and ethnic groups\u2064 are consistent with the disparities in K-12 learning outcomes, suggesting that the tests are not the cause of inequality but rather a symptom.<\/p>\n<p>College admissions officers \u200chave also\u200c found it \u2063easier to differentiate between students when they have an objective and predictive\u2064 measure, such as\u200b an SAT or ACT score. Without these scores, admissions \u2064officers run the risk of admitting less qualified applicants or rejecting qualified applicants based on guesswork. This can lead to a less\u2063 diverse student body and hinder the admission of students from less advantaged high schools.<\/p>\n<p>MIT&#8217;s own experience supports this view. After eliminating the SAT or ACT score\u2063 requirement, the university found that students \u200bwith lower test scores \u200dwere\u200d more likely to struggle or drop out. As a result, MIT reinstated the requirement in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, The New \u2062York Times&#8217;\u2063 acknowledgment that the\u2062 left&#8217;s war on standardized\u2062 tests was \u200bmisguided is a significant admission. The evidence shows that standardized tests serve as useful predictors \u200bof success and have advantages\u200b over the alternatives. By eliminating these tests, colleges \u200cmay inadvertently \u200bcreate more inequitable systems and hinder the chances of talented and \u200chard-working students from \u200ddisadvantaged backgrounds. It is \u200dcrucial for policymakers and educators to \u200bconsider the data and\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wholesale-used-car-prices-tumbled-in-july\/\" title=\"Used car prices dropped significantly in July.\">make\u200b informed decisions<\/a> that prioritize fairness and equal opportunity in higher \u2063education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Times recently shocked readers by acknowledging that the leftists&#8217; opposition to standardized tests like the SAT was misguided. Despite previously supporting this stance, the paper now recognizes the flaws in their argument. For years, leftists have criticized these tests in college admissions, alleging their unfairness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2145089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2145088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2145088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2145089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2145088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2145088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2145088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}