sith_happened: (Default)
Anakin Skywalker ([personal profile] sith_happened) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2013-03-07 12:29 pm
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Ethics [Thursday, March 7, 2013]

"Good morning," Anakin said, "and welcome back from the holiday. We're going to ease in with a discussion of a test near to the heart of anyone from this dimension who's trying to get into college: the SAT, which claims to test the aptitude of high school students across the United States for the purpose of college. The SAT is considered an important part of a student’s application as it allows admissions officers to compare applicants on a standardized measure (that grades and other factors may not allow). The test is broken into three sections: math, critical reading and writing and takes about four hours to complete. It also costs $49, with potential scores ranging between 600 and 2400."

"Although studies have shown strong correlation between how well a student does on the SATs and how well they do in their first year of college, critics question the fairness of this testing across all levels of income, races, and cultures. I'm not certain how well most of you, for instance, would do on the exam, and I don't question your ability to think, reason, or interact effectively in the world. Many students take the exam multiple times--your score goes up 30 points on average with every retaking--and enroll in expensive preparatory classes in order to increase their grade on the SAT, something out of reach for kids without that kind of disposable income. Some say that the gap between rich and poor on this exam is even more widespread because wealthier kids have been exposed to the kinds of experiences and ideas that count as 'aptitude' on the exam."

Anakin clasped his hands in front of him. "My questions are these: should state colleges even require SAT scores as part of their admission? If so, should you be allowed to submit your best score, or just one? And do your cultures have similar tests for aptitude, or do you use something different? In my case, Jedi can tell if someone else is Force-sensitive, and that's pretty much it in terms of what your choice in careers is going to be: you're trained as a Jedi."
pulseof_life: (green-eyed girl)

Re: Sign in [3/7]

[personal profile] pulseof_life 2013-03-07 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Paddra Nsu-Yeul
ultron_junior: ([spec] in class)

Re: Sign in [3/7]

[personal profile] ultron_junior 2013-03-07 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Victor Mancha

Re: Sign in [3/7]

[identity profile] harpy-daughter.livejournal.com 2013-03-07 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Surreal SaDiablo

Re: Listen to the lecture [3/7]

[identity profile] mummyspromdate.livejournal.com 2013-03-07 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Maddie actually felt a little surprised by the class, because it'd been a while since she worried about normal stuff like that.

And now she was realizing if she'd stayed in a normal school to begin with she'd probably be getting ready to take the SAT's soon and now she had zero clue on whether or not that was even a thing she should be doing now. Ah, the fun in totally upsetting your life plans.

Re: Listen to the lecture [3/7]

[identity profile] harpy-daughter.livejournal.com 2013-03-07 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Tests, schools, college, careers, blah blah blah more things Surreal never needed to care about, because the concepts simply didn't apply to her life, let alone to her world.

She put her head down on her desk, and proceeded to tune out the rest of the lecture.
ultron_junior: ([neu] bright)

Re: Listen to the lecture [3/7]

[personal profile] ultron_junior 2013-03-07 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So if Victor's life had stayed normal, he'd have taken the SATs as a matter of course and would probably be accepted to UCLA by now. He chewed at a thumbnail as he listened, wondering if he should even bother taking the test or if he was permanently off that life path.

In other words, he shared Maddie's angst.

Re: Answer the discussion questions [3/7]

[identity profile] mummyspromdate.livejournal.com 2013-03-07 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well," Maddie said, considering this, "I think I'm pretty smart. And I could probably got a scholarship somewhere if I applied for them. But I probably wouldn't be able to afford to take the test once, let alone more than that and pay for all the classes. So it's not really fair to a whole social class to have that be such a big part of it when all it really does it give everyone else an advantage."

Re: Answer the discussion questions [3/7]

[identity profile] mummyspromdate.livejournal.com 2013-03-07 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"Either don't let it be such a big part of the whole thing or level the playing field for everybody," Maddie said. "People are making too much money by stressing out teenagers anyway."