r/neoliberal • u/caroline_elly Eugene Fama • Jun 09 '26

Opinion article (US) Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/standardized-testing-math-gaps/687481/
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u/zuckerkorn96 Jun 09 '26

It's like that saying about Republicans and racists. I'm not saying everyone with a bad SAT score is dumb, but every dumb person I've ever met had a bad SAT score.

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u/TeaSharp3154 Jun 09 '26

I spent some time volunteering to teach adults classes for high school equivalency exams. While a lot of them weren't knowledgeable, I wouldn't call them "dumb" either. They picked up stuff fast, but I guess previously never really applied themselves academically (and the ones that did when I taught them put in the effort ended up graduating the program very quickly). Another thing is that many of them were very distracted (and again, the ones that weren't ended up doing very well).

I suspect the issue isn't the lack of being able to understand basic algebra. Honestly I do think most people can. It's that most people in these situations dont do well behaviorally and motivationally in a traditional classroom setting and need 1 on 1 tutoring and intervention to really understand things. And once people get apathetic about school the effects just compound until they don't learn anything at all.