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    Yes-- there is a full section on EVERY administered SAT in which the questions are "experimental" and are being normed. Honestly, this is probably the ONLY valid means of constructing a "good" multiple choice assessment tool.


    Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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    No. They are NOT comingled that way-- it's a full section, a discrete section, so the student knows full well that the experimental section was "math" for example (because there should be two, but there were three on the test s/he took), but the questions are indistinguishable in every other respect.

    So the student has every incentive to do his/her best on the entire section either way-- because they have no real way of knowing whether or not section 2 is the experimental one, or if it was section 6 instead, if you see what I mean.



    Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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    In their College & Career Readiness report the College Board finds that students who took AP/Honors courses are more likely to get SAT scores that indicate they are ready for college, and it concludes that more students need to take such courses. But its own AP Potential tool https://appotential.collegeboard.org/app/welcome.do uses PSAT scores (which are highly correlated with SAT scores) to identify students who are AP material. They know that the PSAT and SAT measure the scholastic aptitude needed to study at the college level (and therefore do well in an Advanced Placement course), but their College & Career Readiness report suggests that the causality runs in the opposite direction -- that taking honors and AP classes creates such aptitude. The College Board is not being honest.


    "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
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    I agree, Bostonian. It's circular and self-referential, which means that there IS no valid correlation.

    The real correlation seems to be school quality in K-12 and in SES.

    But that won't make CB any more money. <--- me being extremely cynical for a moment.


    Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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    Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
    I
    The real correlation seems to be school quality in K-12 and in SES.

    Speaking of furtive fallacies - how about the 'reporting' on the correlation between SES and college readiness?

    Last edited by madeinuk; 10/02/13 05:43 PM.

    Become what you are
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    Here is a related article on predicting student success which acknowledges the SAT and other contributory factors: http://growingleaders.com/blog/one-gigantic-predictor-success-students/

    In recent discussions about the marshmallow experiment, several of us noted that other factors may be at play:
    1) How well the subject may like a marshmallow. In a similar experiment, might students choose their own treat?
    2) The degree to which students have developed a sense of trust in the powers-that-be. Might a separate survey be conducted to learn, for example, whether some parents may make promises and not follow through, perhaps counting on the child to "forget"?

    These factors may continue to play out through out the student's life.
    1) Do they like the idea of college (marshmallow)? Or would they be more motivated if they could choose their own treat?
    2) Have others followed through on commitments (learning about and writing stellar recommendation letters, for example)?

    In addition to measuring willingness to delay gratification, some of this seems to be about the student's perceived place in society: ability to be self-determining, and receive support.

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    Quote
    ... the student has every incentive to do his/her best on the entire section either way-- because they have no real way of knowing whether or not section 2 is the experimental one, or if it was section 6 instead, if you see what I mean.
    Yes, thank you. I found these links...

    1) free downloadable SAT practice test provided by college board
    http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/

    2) Wikipedia description, of the SAT "Structure" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
    Quote
    SAT consists of three major sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. Each section receives a score on the scale of 200–800. All scores are multiples of 10. Total scores are calculated by adding up scores of the three sections. Each major section is divided into three parts. There are 10 sub-sections, including an additional 25-minute experimental or "equating" section that may be in any of the three major sections. The experimental section is used to normalize questions for future administrations of the SAT and does not count toward the final score.

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    In "Education Pays 2013: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society" http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2013-full-report.pdf the College Board presents data for earnings, employment, job satisfaction, and other outcomes as a function of education obtained.

    According to Figure 1.1, the median earnings of people by highest degree is

    $91,000 PhD
    $70,000 MA
    $56,500 BA
    $35,400 high school diploma .

    Everyone should go not only to college but graduate school! (My serious advice is that gifted students should take Advanced Placement courses in high school, see if they can earn a combined BA/MA in four years, and then look for work.)

    College graduates are more intelligent and disciplined on average than non-college graduates, and they would earn more even if they had not attended college. The college graduate earnings premium thus depends on the credential value of a BA, on what students learn in college, and on the characteristics of high school graduates before starting college. Reporting on earnings gaps that ignore differences in intelligence and other personal attributes is misleading.

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    Wow-- I wonder if policy-makers have seen THAT chart.

    I know how to solve poverty! wink


    Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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    Originally Posted by Bostonian
    Reporting on earnings gaps that ignore differences in intelligence and other personal attributes is misleading.
    Agreed!

    Just skimming Trends in Education (Education Pays 2013) so far but a few things jump out...
    1- chart on page 14 does not seem to take into account the discipline in which the degree is earned.
    Some may say this makes the report an apples-and-oranges comparison.

    Other charts from the College Board Trends in Education report depict...
    2- "40-year full-time working life" (p12) 40 years seems a short career length, a short time in the workforce.
    3- age 25 to 64 (p12) 40 years seems to be a short career length, a short time in the workforce.
    4- p16 shows only 25% of persons age 65+ participating in labor force, regardless of level of education.
    - - Does the under-representation of this demographic (age 65+) in the workforce reflect age discrimination?
    - - Do they have fair, equal, equitable, impartial access to employment opportunities for which they are qualified?
    - - Is there a forced early retirement?
    - - Are the 25% >= age 65 who are employed, self-employed persons?

    5- loan repayment for approximately one fourth to one half of the described full-time working life (10 to 18 years).
    6- "full-time year-round workers" (p13) Seems to exclude teachers, meanwhile education is large part of our economy
    7- "2011... age 25 - 34... 1971-2011" (p16) Refers to historical data reflective of the educational system and economy of a bygone era

    In skimming this report I have not found the type of disclaimer typically printed on prospectus and other financial reports, to the effect that "past results do not guarantee future performance." Yet this document seems to be written to persuade individuals to invest in higher education, by suggesting this will result in a personal financial increase.

    This report focuses on full-time workers, meanwhile the economy is languishing - some have reported hours being cut from full-time to <29 in response to Affordable Healthcare Act.

    Quote
    My serious advice is that gifted students should take Advanced Placement courses in high school, see if they can earn a combined BA/MA in four years, and then look for work.
    While every case is different, I've seen this work successfully. smile

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