PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY OF THE SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE-TEST (SAT) FOR HISPANIC BILINGUAL STUDENTS

This study examines the effect of bilingual background on standardized testing among middle-class Hispanic students in South Florida. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and college GPA after four semesters were compared for 220 Hispanic and 892 non-Hispanic White students at the University of Miami. SAT scores accounted for a similar percentage of the variance in college GPA for the two group, but mean SATs were significantly lower for the Hispanic students (about 45 points on average, both verbal and math), despite equivalent college grades. A given SAT score predicted a slightly higher GPA for the Hispanic student. In view of this finding, affirmative action policies that recommend different interpretations of standardized scores with minority groups may represent not a lowering of academic standards but, rather, a fairer prediction for that group.