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Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

That kid working 25 hours a week to help their family make rent is going to have an easier time buckling down for one test than keeping up their GPA over four years. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/03/23/sta...

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How does that work? You’re saying a child being literally homeless can focus on keeping GPA up?

You got the point of the parent comment backward. It’s specifically easier for a bright child in poverty to ace one test than to maintain a GPA for four years.

You're 100% correct but people will argue SAT performance is more a function of privelege than being bright.

But how can it be better for child study to ace the test when they’re homeless rather than they work to help avoid homelessness and maybe not study so much?

I agree that there are issues with GPA too, but despite saying that it's easier to take one test than it is to maintain a high GPA throughout high school, that's opinion. Teachers can work with over extended students to help them while they are in school

I can't really speak to your opinion piece because its behind a paywall

It's written by a contributer to the National Review, if that helps you decide whether you're missing out on anything important:

https://theintercept.com/2020/07/05/national-review-william-...

Ah, so it's the digital equivalent of trying to read soiled toilet paper. Got it

>Teachers can work with over extended students to help them while they are in school

They can, but will they? Plus, it seems like GPA would be even easier for the wealthy to game, many fancy prep schools sell themselves on their ability to place kids in good colleges. If those kids no longer need to perform well on a standardized tests they just need a high GPA, that seems even easier from the school to guarantee.

Privileged kids have an even bigger advantage in GPA. They can afford to harangue teachers for retakes, accommodations, etc. The kid working in his parents restaurant can afford prep, but his parents can’t afford time to game GPA.

Not just that his parents don’t have time; in many places, parent’s social standing has an impact on the teacher’s willingness to be flexible.

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