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ORIGINAL: Kirata
In what rabbit hole? I suppose we opened this can of worms ourselves when we allowed our racial sensitivities to trample underfoot the eminently sensible policy of filling positions with the most qualified applicants. But where does it stop?

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ORIGINAL: Aylee

Can someone PLEASE explain to these people that there is a difference between "equality of opportunity" and "equality of outcome"? 

http://definitions.uslegal.com/r/racial-discrimination/

Racial discrimination is the practice of letting a person's race or skin color unfairly become a factor when deciding who receives a job, promotion, or other employment benefit.
 

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

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ORIGINAL: Aylee
Can someone PLEASE explain to these people that there is a difference between "equality of opportunity" and "equality of outcome"? 
http://definitions.uslegal.com/r/racial-discrimination/
Racial discrimination is the practice of letting a person's race or skin color unfairly become a factor when deciding who receives a job, promotion, or other employment benefit.
 

Not sure there is a difference because there were changes to testing for SATs or whatever some of those tests are that are taken in all schools, to accomodate black people, and there were spanish and other languages added to certain documents.
Outcome and opportunity, respectively. 

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

http://www.laprogressive.com/sat-racially-biased/

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ORIGINAL: Kirata

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

http://www.laprogressive.com/sat-racially-biased/

I view the author's attempt to associate the SAT and standardized testing in general with the "racial eugenics movement" as about as frank a confession as you'll find anywhere that he has nothing useful to say. The SAT is "skewed toward white students," we are assured, "because many questions reflect cultural expressions that are prevalent in white society."

What the fuck does that mean? I've been white my whole life, as far as I can recall anyway, and I never learned any kind of secret cultural stuff that black people weren't supposed to know so we could beat them on tests. What are these "cultural expressions" that blacks don't know about or understand?

He doesn't say. No cigar.

K.

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The SAT is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service[1] which still administers the exam. The test is intended to assess a student's readiness for college. It was first introduced in 1926, and its name and scoring have changed several times. It was first called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, then the Scholastic Assessment Test, but now SAT does not stand for anything, hence it is an empty acronym.

The current SAT Reasoning Test, introduced in 2005, takes three hours and forty-five minutes to finish, and costs $50 ($81 International), excluding late fees.[2] Possible scores range from 600 to 2400, combining test results from three 800-point sections (Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing).

Taking the SAT or its competitor, the ACT, is required for freshman entry to many, but not all, universities in the United States.

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

When I took the test in High School, I do not remember anything that was "culturally" directed.

Granted, in my opinion, critical reading and writing will be influenced by a person's experiences, environment and culture, but that is what it is all about.

quote:

What the fuck does that mean? I've been white my whole life, as far as I can recall anyway, and I never learned any kind of secret cultural stuff that black people weren't supposed to know so we could beat them on tests. So what are these "cultural expressions" that blacks don't know about or understand? He doesn't say.

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For decades many critics have accused designers of the verbal SAT of cultural bias toward the white and wealthy. A famous example of this bias in the SAT I was the oarsman–regatta analogy question.[43] The object of the question was to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta". The choice of the correct answer presupposed students' familiarity with crew, a sport popular with the wealthy, and so upon their knowledge of its structure and terminology. Fifty-three percent (53%) of white students correctly answered the question, while only 22% of black students also scored correctly.

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ORIGINAL: searching4mysir

quote:

For decades many critics have accused designers of the verbal SAT of cultural bias toward the white and wealthy. A famous example of this bias in the SAT I was the oarsman–regatta analogy question.[43] The object of the question was to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta". The choice of the correct answer presupposed students' familiarity with crew, a sport popular with the wealthy, and so upon their knowledge of its structure and terminology. Fifty-three percent (53%) of white students correctly answered the question, while only 22% of black students also scored correctly.

I might be white, but I'm hardly wealthy. We didn't have a crew team in my high school. Depending on the other available answers, it could just presuppose that the students read a variety of materials that would expand their horizons beyond their own neighborhood/city/state.


If one is searching for racial bias, they can usually find something that approximates it by twisting what the intent is.

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If one is searching for racial bias, they can usually find something that approximates it by twisting what the intent is.

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I suppose we opened this can of worms ourselves when we allowed our racial sensitivities to trample underfoot the eminently sensible policy of filling positions with the most qualified applicants.