SAT and College Admissions

WHEREAS, the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) are utilized as a predictor of success in colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, major emphasis is placed on SAT and ACT scores by colleges and universities in order to determine admission; and

WHEREAS, the SAT is often an unreliable indicator of college graduation rates and  the assessment of course placement; and

WHEREAS, African-Americans, other minorities and women generally score lower on  SAT tests; and

WHEREAS, the findings of several research studies demonstrate that SAT preparation courses can significantly increase test scores.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP work through its Education Department, Youth Councils, and College Chapters to insist that college and university Admissions Offices re-emphasize the SAT as one primary factor in the admissions process; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP call upon the Testing Industry to develop an admissions test with direct correlation to high school curriculums; and

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED, that the Testing Industry initiate a national study on the correlation between SAT scores, college matriculation and college graduation by convening a group of national education and civil rights organizations to initiate dialogue regarding around the results of the study; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that in the interim of structural changes, the NAACP partner with a SAT coaching and training infrastructure to provide free and reduced cost SAT preparation for students of color, similar to those programs currently subsidized by the State of California, to increase test scores and college admissions for as long as this poor indicator of success is administered.