I think you may be missing my point, which is that we don't tell kids that they aren't ready for college math soon enough, and that we could if we made substantial, meaningful changes to the SAT and ACT.
The SAT is presented as THE test for determining college readiness, and overall performance on it is regularly touted as describing this characteristic. I also looked at ACT math; the questions are a lot easier than those on the Compass and Accuplacer tests.
The SAT subject test is another test that costs more money and takes more time, and I don't hear anyone advising college-bound juniors and seniors to take it in order to determine if they're ready for calculus. That's what Accuplacer/Compass are for.
It seems that at least 58% and maybe as high as 68% of community college students end up in remedial courses, with wthe greater number in
remedial math. These students are highly unlikely to take an SAT subject test, especially because it's not required for enrollment (most public four-year-universities presumably don't require them either).
IMO, given a) the high costs of college and the amount of loan debt and b) our national mantra about everyone going to college, we should be bending over backwards to inform kids about their skill levels, not forcing them to figure out that they should be taking an SAT subject test or whatever.
