ABSTRACT
The SAT I: Reasoning Tests are measures of “verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities, which develop over time” (College Board, 1999a, p. 3). The SAT II: Subject Tests “measure your knowledge and skills in particular subjects and your ability to apply that knowledge” (College Board, 1999b, p. 3). Richard C. Atkinson, the president of the University of California, emphasized this difference in proposing to eliminate the SAT I as an admissions requirement to the University of California system and instead to rely more heavily on the SAT II tests (Atkinson, 2001). In his speech to the American Council on Education, Atkinson argued, “The problem is not the use of standardized tests to assess knowledge in well-defined subject areas. The problem is tests that do not have a demonstrable relationship to the student’s program of study—a problem that is amplified when the tests are assumed to measure innate ability.” As noted above, the College Board states that the SAT I measures reasoning abilities that develop over time, not innate abilities; nevertheless, Atkinson’s comments indicate that the perception of an innate ability test remains. Atkinson’s view of the SAT II tests was quite different. He argued, “The SAT II begins to approximate what I judge to be an appropriate test for the University’s admissions process. It tests students on specific subjects that are well defined and readily described.”
