@thomaschattwill My 90mph right arm helped my poor SAT scores get into USNA. I’ll even shamefully admit my SAT was a whopping…1180.

@thomaschattwill I love twitter because it exposes me to great thinkers like you and @coldxman

@thomaschattwill Why do African immigrants do better academically than native blacks in both the UK and US?

@thomaschattwill The concept of testing is good. I think I disagree with your concept of 'mediocre schools' though. I think that is part of what is responsible for the student loan crisis If you're a thinker, you'll do well anywhere. The internet makes physically clustering thinkers irrelevant

@thomaschattwill Yes, but many working class kids of any ethnicity are bored to tears by college prep curriculums which cater to the standards of SAT exams-- while other options s.a. vocational learning geared toward skilled trades, or basic business classes geared toward sales etc., are ignored.

@thomaschattwill I will say this until I die: I didn’t do great on the SAT, but I knew I was smart and didn’t need the SAT to validate me. I went on to get a Bachelors and a Master’s degree.

@thomaschattwill I also know somebody who may well have had his life course saved by an IQ-test. Mentioning it because it strikes me as much the same thing. These tests are a lot better than no tests, and help some people who are capable to get recognition for that. That's good for everyone.

@thomaschattwill It will be interesting to see if the quality of students suffers over the next 5 years. While I like the SAT/ACT, there are other ways to judge merit.

@thomaschattwill Harvard is merely making the test optional, and it still counts in your favor if you do well. The hypothetical disadvantaged kid with a 1600 SAT score still sends it to Harvard, and Harvard advantages that application with a high SAT a score as a strong component.

@thomaschattwill I’m not anti SAT or ACT but I was accepted to a school with a much higher avg SAT score than what I scored because they accepted an interview in lieu of test scores (still factored in my GPA) and it changed my life. There’s no single path to success.

@thomaschattwill @CaitlinPacific Mediocre college? I don’t think that’s a big impediment. Mediocre (or poor) K-12? Much bigger problem. May depend on your definition of mediocre.

@thomaschattwill There are plenty of brilliant but maybe undisciplined or uninspired kids. Many deserve a chance and standardized tests help identify them. Being groomed for college since birth and studying endlessly does not make one higher “potential”. Maybe less risky.

@thomaschattwill I'm a Catholic survivor and the SAT saved my ASS. My grades were middling -- I was sexually exploited, at least, in my Jesuit high school, in the locker room -- but I popped a 700 verbal. How many such survivors will not get the same opportunity in the future?

@thomaschattwill I got to go to a great college pretty much only because of my SAT scores.

@thomaschattwill I feelz ya, but you're on the losing side of the battle for equal outcomes, irrespective of any other consideration. @BrianLehrer @1a @TheTakeaway @NPR @MPBNews @thedm_news @nytpolitics

@thomaschattwill That's great for you. For some kids, it hurts. 3.5 hours on a couple random Saturday mornings in a kid's life is not the best judge of their full potential.

@thomaschattwill I got a full scholarship for my undergraduate degree because of my ACT score. This was a huge deal for me because I had no money for college

@thomaschattwill I went to a tiny rural school in the 90’s. My high ACT score got me an academic scholarship. It’s appalling that similar kids are going to be denied this route.