SATs poor measure of overall HS population.

• Position: Student Achievement - Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test

The growing trend of using college admission and placement exams in measuring high school student achievement may, in some cases, produce misleading and inappropriate results, cautions Richard Noeth, former Educational Testing Service vice president and director of the SAT program.

There are several difficulties in using such exams, commonly the ACT or SAT, in determining student performance. 'These tests were developed as college admission and placement tests, and they're excellent in that regard--they have no peers--but these tests are traditionally used for students going to college. So, it's a subset of the high school population," points out Noeth, whose experience includes working at ACT and for the College Board, which administers the SAT.

Three states--Illinois, Maine, and Michigan--use ACT or SAT scores as a part of what the report classifies as "high-stakes assessments," which have direct consequences on graduation or a school's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the measure under the Federal No Child Left Behind law that determines if a school is meeting achievement goals for its students. The report identifies at least three other states as employing the tests as part of "low-stakes assessments," which do not have as direct an impact outside of the school.

More states may consider moving to an augmented ACT or SAT assessment design as they begin to adopt the Common Core State Standards, the learning outcomes guidelines issued by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School...