It’s reported that the American College Board has made several changes to the SAT test to help more poor students receive higher education. It offers a scoring criterion beyond its own SAT test, which measures only oral and math skills. The new tool is designed to help admissions officers find if applicants have risen above limitations in their social or economic circumstances by expressing a particular characteristic: resourcefulness(足智多谋).
The new criterion, called ECD, has been tried by 50 colleges over the past year and will be carried out by 150 institutions this fall. Relying on public data , it looks at 15 factors(因素) in neighborhoods and schools that might passively influence a candidate’s college readiness. These statistics include crime rates, education levels, joblessness, and the family members that receive food stamps. It applicants come from a highly disadvantaged background yet have proper but perhaps not high SAT scores , a college might then admit them.
Resourcefulness shows an ability to seek support outside one’s self. It requires a clear purpose in learning. The new tool “shines a light on students who have shown remarkable resourcefulness to overcome challenges and achieve more with less,” says David Coleman, the College Board’s president.
The ECD also has the advantage of not taking race into consideration in admissions, a practice being increasingly closed off by the Supreme Court and many states. At the same time, in stressing a key quality for academic success, it may help prevent discrimination in admissions.
The tool is not an absolute measure of resourcefulness. It misses other types of circumstances, such as personal or family problems. Colleges must weigh many factors in admissions. Still, it could lead to a greater focus on character in education beyond the traditional pursuit (追求) of knowledge and career skills. Graduates who have stood out despite their hardships are highly desired by today’s employers.
【小题1】Which people can benefit from the new criterion?| A．Students from poor families. | B．Students doing well at maths. |
| C．Students having much money. | D．Students with good spoken skills. |
| A．The attitudes to schools. | B．The remarks from colleges. |
| C．The difficulties a candidate will face. | D．The institutions a candidate will study in. |
| A．It can make applicants successful. | B．It can improve the ability of races. |
| C．It can provide clear learning purposes. | D．It can treat applicants equally. |
| A．Those with excellent qualities. |
| B．Those having experienced hardships. |
| C．Those making progress in difficult situations. |
| D．Those with the traditional pursuit of knowledge. |
