Writer Argues SAT Favors Affluent Students

The New York Times (11/10, Ruiz) profiles Wake Forest University sociology professor Joseph Soares, who "channeled his enthusiasm" about colleges across the country (including Wake Forest) making the SAT optional "into a new book, 'SAT Wars,' that argues for looking beyond standardized test scores in college admissions. ... Through his own essays in the book, as well as those of contributors that he edited, Mr. Soares seeks to build a case against the SAT. He characterizes it as a test that tends to favor white, male, upper income students with the means to prepare for it." The Times describes the research and arguments in the book, noting that Soares says that to find "academically engaged students...colleges should pay more attention to high school grades and give less credence to standardized test scores."