On Thursday the College Board announced their plan to assign a new “Adversity Score” to all student takers; this score is aimed at measuring socioeconomic backgrounds of students in a means of increasing a student’s overall rating based on factors outside the classroom. The SAT Adversity Index would be outlined as follows:
Neighborhood and Environment
• Crime Rate
• Poverty Rate
• Housing Values
• Vacancy Rate
Family Environment
• Median Income
• Single Parent
• Education Level
• ESL
High School Environment
• Undermatching
• Curricular Rigor
• Free Lunch Rate
• AP Opportunity
The Board revealed that the score would be based on a scale from one to 100, with higher score exceptions provided for students with a high level of deemed adversity. Considering the current college admission scandals across the nation, the College Board decided that it was again time to add additional levels of muddied waters in a process already lacking transparency. But, is this just another iceberg emerging and floating about in the ocean of Affirmative Action?
Since being signed into law by executive order in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, Affirmative Action was designed to allow and promote educational and workplace opportunities to the underprivileged and minorities who may otherwise not qualify due to various socioeconomic factors. Although slow out of the gate, Affirmative Action has swept our nation both at work and in the classrooms of schools, colleges, and universities. Today’s institutions of higher education are a fishbowl of broad diversity but often plagued by liberal ideologies disseminated by professors to make majorities guilt-ridden for “their kind’s” success. Apparently, in the eyes of the Board, inflation is in order.
So, what is the purpose of the College Board’s decision for this new “Adversity Score?” Is it to slap a Band-Aid across the black eye of America’s higher education system considering recent scandals? Perhaps it is to apologize for the very few students who firmly believe that their Ivy League education was stolen by some Beverly Hills, silver spoon eating child, whose wealthy parents financed and bribed their way into their freshman year? Let’s be realistic here – the College Board’s announcement is an attempt to save face; to state that indeed, college admission discrimination still is quite prevalent and needs a more level playing field. Or does it?
In my opinion, the Board’s decision is nothing more than cloak and dagger; and a sneaky attempt to further railroad the Affirmative Action agenda across the nation. The Diversity and Inclusion Offices of American colleges and universities are salivating over the chance to welcome more diversified individuals, often at the expense of taxpayers. Students are to be admitted not on merit, but exceptions and barriers purposefully inflated to say yet again “I’m Sorry” to students who were not standouts in their classrooms, but rather something else beyond their control somehow prevented them from fully applying themselves during their high school career.
Overall, the College Board’s decision is intolerable – poorly based, and is full of fiction. Allow me to state some facts: it is factual that in America, everyone is awarded the same opportunities for personal and educational growth. No matter his or her background or circumstances, a child should not be expected to be rewarded for mediocrity. This nation’s mentality of “Everyone Gets a Trophy” is a lie – a complete fabrication of how life works, and a slap in the face of our Founder’s vision of democracy. Higher education needs a severe reality check – today’s children need to understand that life meets nobody halfway – if you want something, YOU must go out and get it. However, sometimes you don’t succeed, and that’s OK. Life’s most important lessons are learned on the tears of defeat. If our nation continues to reward 2nd place – what will indeed be the reason for a child to ever strive for 1st? Is this how we want to educate the future leaders and inheritors of our Great Nation? I surely hope not!