Standardized tests are useful

This is in response to the March 12 article entitled "The Hopeful Demise of Standardized Tests."

The author of this article believes that a student's course selection and class rank are sufficient indicators of college preparedness. The problem is that neither of these can be objectively evaluated for every school in the state (or the nation) and even if they could, they would still fail to accurately portray the ability of the student.

The high school grading system relies heavily on routine homework assignments and class participation and therefore the tests are mundane, focusing more on rote memorization then conceptual understanding. Consequently, if a student is willing to put forth a reasonable amount of effort, he will be rewarded with a top grade.

Although a strong work ethic is certainly a prerequisite for a successful college experience, it is certainly not the only trait a student must possess.

Recognizing this, admissions boards function on the philosophy that a multi-dimensional view of a student is more valuable than one isolated aspect. They use standardized tests, instead of other implements such as individual college entrance examinations, to determine whether a student is a scholastic thinker or has simply trotted along with a work-horse mentality. This distinction is important to maintain and we would be doing the college, as well as the student body, a disservice by ignoring it.

The author of the article hopes for the removal of standardized tests without acknowledging the need for a suitable replacement. His concerns regarding ethnic bias create a valid reason for questioning the validity of these tests; they don't, however, give cause to abandon the reasoning these tests were based upon.

Mark Lyon
Mathematics and computer science sophomore