LatinaLista — Even with the new economic reality that college costs are outpacing affordability for many Latino families, the dream of a college degree is still high on the priority list of many high school students.
That’s according to the College Board’s latest report The SAT Report on College and Career Readiness 2012 which revealed “that more college-bound students in the class of 2011 took the SAT than in any other high school graduating class in history.” According to the College Board, this year’s SAT test-takers was also most diverse group — 45 percent were students of color.
Good news considering that from the White House to high school counselors and local business leaders, all have been trying to get the message out that tomorrow’s jobs will depend more on skilled and trained workers versus the kind of labor that can be hired with only a high school degree or GED. The bad news is that of the estimated 1.65 million students who took the SAT, only 43 percent show that they will succeed in college.
Fifty-seven percent didn’t meet the College Board’s benchmarks that indicate college won’t be a struggle for them.
The areas that the SAT measures for each student are: Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing. For students of color, each of these areas has historically been challenging for a simple reason. Many of the students, when faced with the SAT, finally realize that the education they’ve received wasn’t up to par with College Board standards — or any standard built to help students succeed for the future.
