The First SAT π Southern Ivies π The Roaring β20s π
This Week in History: June 23β29, 1926
This week history reminds us of an educational event many Americans undoubtedly have some experience withβand possibly strong feelings about. For on June 23, 1926β98 years agoβthe College Board administered the very first SAT exam to approximately 8,040 candidates at 353 locations across America.Β
Nine years earlier in 1917, Princeton University psychology professor Carl Brigham and Harvard University psychology professor Robert Yerkes had developed a military IQ screener called the Army Alpha test. (Both of these men were also, unfortunately, proponents of the regrettable eugenics movement.)
Somewhat of a baby boomβbut not the baby boomβoccurred after World War I ended in 1918, leading to increased enrollments in elementary school, secondary school, and higher education. This contributed to a progressive movement that focused on educating the whole person, as opposed to memorization of key facts and other traditional learning methods.Β It also prompted Americaβs elite colleges to expand identification of learned, knowledgeable students who may not have attended the prep schools that traditionally fed students into the Ivies, but were meritoriously qualified to attend them.
So Brigham used the Army Alpha to create a college admissions test that would later evolve into the SAT. Its popularity grew and by 1935, Harvard University required all applicants to submit SAT scores. Most Ivy League schools also used it to determine who should be awarded scholarships.Β
A Word About the Ivies
While the South canβt officially claim an Ivy League school, Duke University ranks higher than two official Ivies in the major ranking systems and is considered the most prestigious school in our neck of the woods. Itβs followed by Vanderbilt, Rice, and Emory, with the University of Virginia rounding out the top five.
A Personal SAT Story
I took the SAT in 1990βbefore calculators were allowed. It was pretty much the same test students in the 1950s took. Ironically, the College Board announced changes to the SAT that year, but those changes wouldnβt take effect until 1994.
The post 1994-result: a noticeable drop in scores and avalanche of complaints. So in 1995, the College Board recalibrated the scores, added 100 points to each new section, and updated the scaling reference group to a selection of 1990 test takers one teacher described as students who βliked to skateboard in Hypercolor shirts as they got caught up in light-hearted mischief and misunderstandings around Bayside High.β
Thankfully, my small high school wasnβt included in that group. Whatβs more, it actually offered a free SAT prep class, so I took it. Although I barely met the four-digit threshold for my school of choice, I submitted the results, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. Because there was no way I would be taking that horrid test again. Once I got into Virginia Techβmy top schoolβI never looked back.
When it came time for my own children to take the SAT in 2014, 2016, and 2019, the board had added an essay requirement (in 2005) and increased the maximum score from 1600 to 2400. But alas, the board removed the essay requirement and additional 800 points in 2016 (after my first two kids had taken it), along with the guessing penalty, so students would no longer lose points for answering questions incorrectly. The board also lowered the number of multiple choice options from five to four per question.
If youβre thinking todayβs teens have it easier than we did, Iβll pile onto that by pointing out that they also now have multitudes of prep resources availableβonline, at school, via local libraries, and with private tutors and businesses. My husband and I βsuggestedβ that each of our kids take it twiceβonce to establish a baseline, and again after engaging in a little prep to see if it made a difference.Β
My oldest worked with a tutor at a library, my middle child took lots of practice tests in a prep book, and my youngest entered Khan Academyβs free online SAT prep program. Their scores went up by 60 to 200 points, they got into the schools they wanted, and we said goodbye to standardized testing forever!
The SAT Scandal of the Century
In March 2021, Netflix released βOperation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal,β which focused on a nationwide SAT cheating conspiracy that made headlines two years earlier and involved quite a few celebrity children. The parents of these privileged co-eds were offered plea deals or sentenced to community service hours and/or prison, but the real punishment came in the smearing of their name forever, ensuring parents like meβwhose children earned their scores the old-fashioned wayβnever laid eyes on their cinematographic efforts again.
The SATβs Changing Landscape
After my youngest child entered college in August 2020, a number of collegesβallegedly triggered by the COVID-19 pandemicβdid away with SAT requirements and made score submission optional. As of 2024, a number of schools nationwideβincluding the two my children attendedβstill arenβt requiring the SAT as part of their admissions process.
But lo β¦ the tide is turning. Several highly selective schools recently reinstated the SAT requirement due to its reliability in predicting first-year college grades and assisting admissions officers in evaluating a student in context. Could the SAT application requirement soon return to a school nearβor dearβto you?Β
Meanwhile, the β20s Roared On
By 1926, the Roaring Twenties were also being referred to as the Jazz Age and Golden Twentiesβa bodacious era that spanned from the end of World War I to the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. A decade marked by unprecedented economic prosperity, the β20s were characterized by rapid industrial growth, technological advancements, and a booming stock market. This prosperity led to increased consumer spending and higher living standards across America.Β
The average annual income in 1926 was $5,306.43. The Ford Model Tβstill the top-selling carβranged from $380 to $545. Gas per gallon cost 21 to 30 cents. These grocery expenses from 1925 are based on a 1-pound quantity (I scoured the Internet for 1926 prices but came up empty).
9.3 cents for bread
32.6 cents for steak
47.1 cents for bacon
55.2 cents for butter
A dozen eggs cost 55.4 cents and a half-gallon of milk cost 27.8 cents.
Even though the 1920s remain a fascinating period of American history, the seeds of economic instability had been planted and would, sadly, lead to the Great Depression. But letβs keep the β20s roaring for now and save that subject for another post.Β
This week I sent the full edition of my βThis Week in Historyβ series to all readersβnot just upgraded subscribers. If you like what you read, consider upgrading to receive each post in full.
Up next: June 30βJuly 4. I think we all know a pretty important event happened that week!
Thank you. The SAT was never my friend. Early in life a series of tests in elementary school determined that I wasn't a good student. I was placed in the "B" group. The "A" group looked down on the B and C group. I never forgot that. For some people the only test that shows their true abilities is this thing called Life.
The SAT has been replaced with Standards of learning tests. Students live under the stress that if they fail the SOL's, they can not graduate until they retake and pass the SOL's. Enjoyed the entire article!