BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Big changes are being tested for SAT scoring. It's an effort to 'level the playing field' for all students.
"I believe it's very important to make sure we incorporate other things that may be important to a student's education,” declared Termara Cross.
Cross is wrapping up her second year at the University at Buffalo. She grew up on the city’s east side and applauds the college board’s changes to how it scores the SAT. Students scores will now include socioeconomic factors.
“But I had to work – I had other things to focus on other than Education, so therefore, I believe it's very important to incorporate with the SAT’s scores,” said Cross.
The adversity score uses a scale of one to 100 for disadvantaged students.
Several factors will be calculated into the adversity score that will include poverty and crime in a student's neighbor, as well as the quality of a student's high school.
But it doesn't appear this would apply for a middle-class student facing family-life adversity -such as a parent addicted to drugs.
We reached out to Nate Daun-Barnett, chair of the UB’s Graduate School of Education.
“Is this fair”? Buckley asked. “You know fair is such a subjective idea. The SAT, we’ve known for a long time, isn’t really fair – but it’s not really meant to be a single point of data,” responded Daun-Barnett. “I think the adversity index gives us a sense that student background matters."
Say Yes Buffalo provides tuition help for all Buffalo Public and city charter school students. Executive director David rust says he hopes the new sat scoring system will be '”an equity driver.”
“I think it's always smarter to take a broader look at a student than just a standardized test score,” Rust said.
So far 50 colleges nationwide are using the new scoring system on a trial basis, but the College Board is planning to add 150 more schools this year for adversity scoring.
