SAT to Add ‘Adversity Score’ That Rates Students’ Hardships

Re:SAT to Add ‘Adversity Score’ That Rates Students’ Hardships by rtkwe on Thursday May 16, 2019 @06:45PM (#19934210)

The issue with 'equality of opportunity' is it barely exists and only for the group of people in nearly exact economic statuses in the same area. So many things in the environment and schooling set poorer people back from day 1 be it environmental pollution, noise pollution, or older poorly funded schools (given how much extra funding schools can get from a combination of property tax revenue and just fundraising from parents), the list goes on.

Colleges have limited ability to help with those factors so they apply weights where they can. Hell even the SAT itself has a pretty regressive impact because most colleges will let you submit your highest score from multiple tests, I got 2 800s but it took 2 tests (not counting a couple PSATs I got various times) to get that a chance a poorer person is much less likely to have.

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Re:SAT to Add ‘Adversity Score’ That Rates Students’ Hardships by flukus on Thursday May 16, 2019 @09:46PM (#19935406)

> The issue with 'equality of opportunity' is it barely exists ... Colleges have limited ability to help with those factors

I think you summed up the problem quite well and acknowledged that colleges aren't in much of a position to solve it, but seem happy with a solution that ignores the problem. A much more effective effort would be to solve the problem and ensure that there is equality of opportunity as much as possible, like eliminating your postcode determining your quality of schooling.

Don't forget that not everyone is college bound, those that don't get help from the college will still have a poor education, will still live a poor community and will still have another generation of kids facing the same issues.

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