Why the Return of Standardized Testing Matters in the Age of AI
In recent years, a growing number of colleges and universities have begun reinstating requirements for standardized test scores such as the SAT and the ACT.
As an educator, I welcome this development. While standardized testing is far from perfect, its renewed role in college admissions arrives at a time when academic standards are being challenged by rapid technological change, particularly the widespread availability of artificial intelligence tools.
In the classroom, the effects are becoming increasingly visible. Many educators have observed a decline in students’ mathematical reasoning, writing quality, and reading comprehension. This is not necessarily because students are less capable than previous generations. Rather, it reflects a powerful reality of human behavior: when an easier path appears, people tend to take it.
AI-powered tools have dramatically lowered the effort required to complete academic tasks. With a few prompts, students can generate essays, solve math problems, summarize readings, and even draft lab reports. The technology itself is remarkable and potentially transformative. However, in an educational setting where learning depends on productive struggle, the convenience of AI can easily undermine the development of foundational skills.
Importantly, I do not blame students for this behavior. Human beings naturally gravitate toward efficiency and convenience. If technology provides an effortless shortcut, many people will use it, especially when deadlines, grades, and pressure are involved. And I'll be the first teacher to admit that I would probably have used these tools growing up!
The problem lies less with students and more with the systems that have not yet adapted to this new technological landscape.
This is one reason why standardized testing still has value. Exams like the SAT and ACT provide a controlled environment in which students must demonstrate their abilities without outside assistance. When properly administered, these tests offer colleges a clearer snapshot of a student's actual academic preparation.
Standardized tests also serve another important function: they help maintain consistent benchmarks. High school grading standards can vary dramatically between districts, schools, and even individual teachers. A student earning an A in one environment may not have the same level of preparation as a student earning the same grade elsewhere. Standardized assessments provide a shared measuring stick, allowing colleges to compare students across vastly different educational settings.
The issue becomes even more pressing when we consider the rise of AI-assisted coursework. Essays written outside the classroom are increasingly difficult to verify as authentic student work. Homework solutions can be generated instantly. Even reading assignments can be summarized automatically, reducing the incentive to engage deeply with texts. In this environment, traditional grading signals become less reliable indicators of student ability.
Reintroducing standardized testing requirements helps restore an element of accountability. It ensures that, at least at certain points in the admissions process, students must demonstrate the skills they claim to possess. This does not mean tests should be the sole factor in admissions decisions. Rather, they should be part of a broader evaluation that includes coursework, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and personal achievements.
Another benefit of maintaining rigorous testing standards is the message it sends about expectations. Education systems shape behavior through incentives. When standards are clear and consistently enforced, students are more likely to engage seriously with their studies. When standards become ambiguous or inconsistently applied, motivation and discipline often decline.
The broader challenge facing education today is not simply whether to require standardized tests, but how to preserve meaningful learning in a world where technology can automate so many intellectual tasks. AI will continue to evolve, and it will increasingly become part of professional and academic life. The goal should not be to eliminate these tools entirely, but to ensure that students first develop the underlying skills needed to think critically, reason quantitatively, and communicate clearly.
In mathematics, this means students must learn to understand concepts, not just generate answers. In writing, they must develop the ability to organize ideas, construct arguments, and interpret complex texts. These are cognitive muscles that require exercise. If AI tools do all the lifting, those muscles inevitably weaken.
Standardized testing alone will not solve these challenges. However, it represents one important step toward reinforcing academic expectations at a time when traditional measures of student performance are becoming less reliable.
Ultimately, education should aim to cultivate capable, independent thinkers. Technology can enhance that mission, but it should never replace the intellectual effort that genuine learning requires. By restoring meaningful benchmarks such as SAT and ACT scores, colleges have an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of authentic academic ability.
For educators who witness the daily realities of the classroom, that shift is a welcome sign. It suggests that standards still matter, and that the goal of education remains not merely completing assignments, but developing the skills necessary to think, analyze, and contribute meaningfully to society.