IMPACT
More Than Merit: The Factors Behind Standardized Test Scores
Advisor(s)
Andrea Stuiber; Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Document Type
Poster
Type
Information Motivating Public Activism (IMPACT)
UN Sustainable Development Goal
UNSDG #4: Quality Education
Start Date
28-4-2021 9:15 AM
End Date
28-4-2021 9:35 AM
Abstract
Standardized tests like the SAT are a key part of college admissions in the US and are widely taken by high school students across the nation. Many students work hard to try and achieve high test scores to be competitive in college admissions. Merit may not be the only factor influencing test scores, though. Factors outside of a student’s control may also play a role in their test scores. For example, schools with insufficient resources may not always have access to standardized testing tutoring services or a personalized training for students. This project attempts to determine correlations between school indicators and average SAT results. The high schools analyzed in this project are located in Illinois and across the country. The main factors that will be analyzed in this project are: school size, average household income of the attending students, average annual state funding, graduation rate, and region. As of 2021, most high schools require juniors to take the SAT, creating a data point which can be easily accessed, as well as an objective variable to analyze. The purpose of this project aims to see if there is a correlation between various school factors and standardized testing scores.
Creative Commons License
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More Than Merit: The Factors Behind Standardized Test Scores
Standardized tests like the SAT are a key part of college admissions in the US and are widely taken by high school students across the nation. Many students work hard to try and achieve high test scores to be competitive in college admissions. Merit may not be the only factor influencing test scores, though. Factors outside of a student’s control may also play a role in their test scores. For example, schools with insufficient resources may not always have access to standardized testing tutoring services or a personalized training for students. This project attempts to determine correlations between school indicators and average SAT results. The high schools analyzed in this project are located in Illinois and across the country. The main factors that will be analyzed in this project are: school size, average household income of the attending students, average annual state funding, graduation rate, and region. As of 2021, most high schools require juniors to take the SAT, creating a data point which can be easily accessed, as well as an objective variable to analyze. The purpose of this project aims to see if there is a correlation between various school factors and standardized testing scores.