By The Editors

Music majors may have to crack open the calculus textbooks again, while their math-minded peers brush up on their vocabulary skills if a presidential commission decides to instate nationwide standardized testing in colleges.

Just when students thought they would have a chance to think outside the box, they find themselves drowning in bubbles again.

The reasoning behind the proposal to create a standardized test for college students is to assess the quality of education at institutions across the country, especially public universities funded by federal aid.

With the cost of tuitions rising at both public and private universities, the test results would also assist students in selecting an institution and deciding whether the education they will receive is worth the price tag.

These both seem like sound arguments for the creation of a SAT spin-off for college students, but they violate the fundamentals of a college education.

After 12 years of math, science, English and history, finally each student can chose their own path, embrace their strengths and leave the subjects they struggle with behind. No longer do you need to bury your head in Barron’s books or cringe at the thought of Iowa tests, SATs or statewide equivalency exams.

National means, percentiles and bar graphs will no longer be used to decide how smart or dumb a person is compared to students throughout the nation.

Finally, teachers can teach, rather than inundate their students with practice tests and allow time for open discussions rather than strictly adhering to a standardized curriculum.

While the University is not a public institution, it does rely on some level of federal aid and therefore, could also be required to participate in the testing.

The only people who profit from standardized testing are the groups behind the creation of prep courses and study aids and the test itself. As if college education doesn’t cost too much already.

If these tests are implemented, colleges will become caught in the same vicious cycle that has the rest of the education system trapped.

The school feels pressure to perform well on the exam, so they force teachers to adapt their curricula to the test rather than using the time to teach students the skills that would help them succeed in their desired career path. Employers or graduate schools may also use these test results in the admissions process, placing pressure on students to focus on their performance rather than the knowledge they will take away once the three-hour exam is over. In the end, the entire education system is brought to its knees over a test that paints a very close-minded picture of what it means to be intelligent and successful.

The answer to most questions can not be found in multiple choice format, but instead require critical thinking, argument and hard work. Standardized tests, similar to IQ tests, measure aptitude, but they are not accurate indicators for future success.

They fail to reflect the students who are hardworking but bad test-takers. Should some of the brightest students who have aced all their exams be held back from landing their dream-jobs because they faltered on the one test they couldn’t even study for?

And what about students who major in the arts – how will these students be assessed? The University for example, has some 140 undergraduate majors. Will the system create a standardized test for each major or will students of different disciplines be judged by one standard? If students are asked to conform to fit one standard of excellency, then naturally students who specialize in math and English will perform better than those who have chose to study other areas during their college career.

It would be the equivalent of putting a surgeon up against an accountant to test their knowledge of the nervous system. Is it any surprise who would emerge on top?

Standardized testing may have a place (or it may not) in high schools and elementary schools, but not college.

College is a time for asking questions that do not have clear cut answers; to engage in open discussions, embrace diversity and learn more about the subjects that inspire you. College begins the transition into the real world, and outside of academia. Society functions because each person brings their own unique talents, interests and work ethic to the table.