The Aug. 27 editorial, "The language of test scores," contained misinformation.
The editorial was a commentary on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. There no longer is a test named Scholastic Aptitude Test. That test has undergone three name changes since the name Scholastic Aptitude Test was discarded, and the content of the test has been changed. The current name of the test is SAT Reasoning Test. (The letters SAT have no meaning.)
There was speculation in the editorial as to why scores in recent testing are lower than before. It used to be that only 5 to 10 percent of the students opted to take the test. Those were the high IQ and academically gifted students. In recent times, 50 to 60 percent of the students take the test. Given the high correlation between IQ levels and test scores, it should come as no surprise that test scores are now lower.
Tom Hansen
Lahaina
