By Ana Bury ’25
To standardize any particular system is to assure consistency and regularity. The College Board and ACT Corporation insist that the scoring processes for their respective tests, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT), are fair and “standardized.” But how can they emphasize these ideals when the system itself is inequitable?
The standardized testing system is unfair and outdated. Furthermore, the weight that these arbitrary tests carry for our academic futures, as well the impact they have on our own self-worth, is detrimental to student mental health. Standardized testing is akin to the traditional secondary school grading system: both are influenced by factors beyond an individual’s talents and work ethic.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that SAT and ACT results are heavily influenced by family income. Stanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project (2009-2018) found that school districts in lower-income areas also have lower average scores on standardized tests. Why is this the case?
Well, students from higher-income families can hire private tutors, enroll in standardized testing courses, and generally have more time to focus on their studies because their families have their finances covered. This inequality amongst families of varying socioeconomic statuses leads to lower test scores in lower-income groups, making the college admissions process even more difficult.
I believe, however, that inequality within the standardized testing system, or any grading system in general, is only part of the problem. These scores and grades are damaging to student mental health not only because they are influenced by factors out of students’ control — such as where they come from and their family income — but also because they have developed into determinants for our own self-worth.
In my Moral Reasoning class, we discussed the effect of these grades and numbers on our livelihoods and how they influence our level of self-confidence.
“When you’re an 88 average student, you just carry yourself differently than someone who feels like a 95 average,” Peter Carini ’24 said. “[Grades] just keep you in a box,” Pearson Hill ’24 agreed.
I strongly agree with both Carini and Hill — grades and test scores poison our self-confidence and, in turn, our access to opportunities. Receiving poor grades or poor standardized test scores can make one feel unintelligent, lazy, or inadequate; the wrong number or letter can destroy one’s chances of attending a good college and achieving a desirable future.
Worst of all, we use grades and test scores to decide someone’s worth. Colleges use these letters and numbers to determine our value to their school, and we use these letters and numbers to determine our own value to society.
“You’re not able to think more than those grades because you think, ‘All right, that’s who I am, and these grades are my value,” Hill said. Carini agreed, describing this phenomenon as “dangerous.”
Although 80% of universities in the U.S are currently test-optional, there is still pressure to submit scores amongst these schools because grades and scores have become so deeply embedded into our self-image. The only way to combat this issue is to restructure the education system in and of itself, replacing the emphasis on grades with an emphasis on hard work, academic growth, and intellectual curiosity.
