“You measure a government by how few people need help.”

-Patricia Schroeder

High school seniors’ performance on the SATs has fallen nationally and nowhere is the impact felt more than in Maryland, where scores dropped by 14 points as compared to the nation’s seven points – more than any other state.

The new, 45-minute longer SAT test has proved a conundrum for many students nationwide. Though the College Board insists the new length did not affect this year’s scores, anecdotal evidence from tuckered-out high schoolers would indicate otherwise. The SAT is by no means a perfect indicator of a student’s intelligence or ability to perform in college. Many have argued it puts low-income students who cannot afford to hire a tutor or take the test multiple times at an inherent disadvantage.

Yet the drop in scores is enough to alarm educators – and rightly so. No one has offered a reason as to why Maryland has experienced the 14-point drop. But the fact is, there is no good reason for such a sharp decline in a state whose economy and ability to fund education is improving – a state that is surrounded by some of the finest scientific research institutions in the country that has some of the best public schools in the nation.

Administrators say low-income students will probably suffer the largest blow to their scores in the future and are considering a number of measures in order to prepare for the impending effects. University System of Maryland officials are wise to identify the problem and step up to help the students who deserve a higher education even if they cannot afford its increasingly high costs – but they must be more proactive in their actions.

The system is considering different methods to combat the impending effects of the lower scores, though none of the measures are set in stone. One of the options is to help train primary and secondary educators so they can help our future students before they arrive on the campus. It is wise of the university to expand their efforts in this direction; earlier in the year they unveiled their revamped Center for Educational Partnership over the summer.

But administrators’ efforts on this campus seem less than proactive. Provost Bill Destler has said the university might expand its remedial classes to help the students who may not have had the preparation they needed and deserved in high school. But discussion of options is not good enough. Administrators should commit to funding such options.

The university has a commitment to students from all different backgrounds. The state government recently poured millions into the system. There is no better way to spend a portion of the money than for the university to help the students who deserve the benefit of remedial classes, perhaps because their high schools were not equipped to prepare them for a rigorous higher education. They deserve a moment and a class where they can catch up.

Remedial classes are necessary for freshmen and sophomores in order to boost their confidence as students – a confidence that is vital because most students drop out of college in their first two years.

Officials should meet the problem head on. We encourage officials to be as proactive as possible in preparing to help students who deserve it. The money is there and the need is clearly present. Nowhere is the need more felt than in the population of students who may not be affluent enough to afford the skyrocketing costs of higher education. Administrators should strive to be ahead of the curve to help ensure the success of all future students.

Our view: University administrators should step up and help future students by implementing more remedial classes due to low SAT scores.