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Razan Ahmed
Professor OConnor
English 101, Section 1001
24 September 2017
Annotated Bibliography
Source #1: Dowling, William C. "Enemies of Promise: Why America Needs the SAT."
Academic Questions, vol. 13, no. 1, Winter99/2000, p. 6. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2919795&site=ehost

-live.

Author William Dowling argues that the SAT does not fulfill its purpose of accurately

determining first year college students grades. My research question is why is the SAT a required

form of standardized testing? From this source, I understand that SATs are meant to predict a

students grades for their first year of college. However, arent the GPA and class rank the best

predictors of first year college students grades. This sources credibility seems legitimate and

fair. This source is biased, William is trying to prove the actual outcome of the SAT and how it

is not useful for what it is intended for.

Source #2: Zwick, Rebecca, and Catherine Bernard. Rethinking the SAT: The Future of

Standardized Testing in University Admissions. Psychology Press, 2004.

Rebecca Zwick claims in her article that the SAT accurately assesses inferences related

to selection and classification. One difference is that it claims the SATs purpose is to measure

how much knowledge, aptitude, or ability one may posses. Both these sources agree that the SAT

does not do a good job of measuring a students learning or achievement deficiencies or abilities,

but this source mentions one thing that the SAT is good at which I mentioned earlier. I believe

that the second source is also credible and legitimate. I plan to use both these sources to help me
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with justifying my research question and proving that SAT testing has its pros and cons, and that

people have different takes on the benefits of the SAT testing.

Source #3: Kohn, Alfie. The Case against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the

Schools. 2nd ed., Heinemann, 2000.

Alfie Kohn conveys his message of how little test results actually tell us and just how

harmful having a test driven curriculum can be. Alfies book is more about standardized testing

in general rather than the SAT in particular. He mentions how education should not only be

about how well students perform on standardized tests but also how to make it more about

learning. Alfies book is towards people who think that ones academic ability lies in the scores

they receive from standardized tests . His book is a credible source and is not outrageously

explicit or negative, therefore it is fair. I plan to use this source to add onto the other sources that

may have similar viewpoints.

Source #4: "The SAT and Affirmative Action." Journal of Developmental Education, vol. 22,

no. 1, Fall98, p. 39. EBSCOhost

Donald Stewart, President of College Board defends the SAT by claiming that the lower

test scores of certain groups does not indicate test bias but rather inadequate academic

preparation. He also mentions that the SAT is actually a good predictor of college performance

for all ethnic groups. The SAT can serve as a tool to help identify student weaknesses and

thereby shape offers for assistance he states. His audience are the individuals who have negative

emotions towards the SAT and feel that it serves as a bias regarding certain ethnic groups.

Unlike the other sources, this one is more pro the SAT tests. This source will serve as a contrast

to the other sources and give me more sides to my research question.

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Source #5: Benefits. SAT Suite of Assessments, College Board , 13 June 2017,

collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/about/benefits. Accessed 24 September 2017.

In this article, College Board lists and explains the benefits of the SAT exam. Some of

the benefits they have listed are that it Opens doors to collegebuilds skills overtimehelps

students plan their careers.. and connects students to scholarship opportunities the list goes

on. College board claims that The SAT Suite provides consistent feedback across assessments

to help students stay on course and supports teachers as they adjust their instruction for students

who are either ahead or behind. Unlike the first three sources, this article is pro the SAT, it emits

positive feelings/reactions to the idea of the SAT. The audience that College Board is trying to

reach are those who do not see the purpose or benefits of the SAT. This source will help to add

to the multiple sides of opinions regarding my research question.