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Standardized Tests
Standardized tests are used by colleges to see students' academic abilities by using standard tests, which are the ACT and SAT. They're required for most universities and colleges, but many are moving away from them. According to The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, more than 1,800 colleges and universities are test-optional for the fall term in 2023. When they're used, there has been a significant increase in more Hispanic/Latino students taking standardized tests. In 2012, from the Total Group Profile Report, the amount of Hispanic/Latino students taking the SAT was around 136,602. But, this needs to account for the "no response" and the other subcategories that could fit underneath the umbrella term "Latinos." Ten years later, looking at the SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report, double the amount of Hispanic/Latino students who have taken the test, around 396,422 students. There has been an increase in how many Hispanic/Latino students have been taking standardized tests due to the increase of educational opportunities provided to Latino students. Even then, there is an achievement gap between latino and other students. Looking at the class of 2020, average scores for Latino or Hispanic students were 478 out of 800 for the math section, while White students' average scores were 547 out of 800, showing a huge achievement gap.

Achievement Gap
Many believe that the achievement gap between Hispanic/Latino and other racial group students' is due to Hispanic/Latino students backgrounds. As Jafeth Sanchez from NevadaToday explains, the "...lack of social capital and cultural capital" has reduced the number of people from this background "...from entering (the) system of higher education." Sanchez goes on to say that "cultural capital" gives students the resources and skills to go through higher education because of already learning the "..expectations, norms and values..." that are a part of higher education. Even economically it has hindered the education that Hispanic/Latino students get. Andre M. Perry goes on to say, "the achievement gap between those who make less than $80,000 and those who make more than that amount has increased from 2012 to 2016, according to a 2016 ACT report." Ana Hernández Kent also found in 2019 by Survey of Consumer Finances, "A typical (median) white family owned about $184,000 in family wealth" while, "A typical Hispanic family owned $38,000, showing that this was a big issue for Hispanic/Latino families. Wealth is directly related to the achievement gap. Hernández goes on to say,"...Hispanic families whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree had less median wealth than the typical white family whose highest level of education was a high school degree." Education still doesn't close the achievement gap, showing that it's not only wealth that's hindering Hispanic/Latino students, but culturally and racially. "Baby bonds" is a term to reduce the wealth gap between racial groups that directly reduce the achievement gap. Perry explains it as, a system where "Every child born in the U.S. would receive $1,000 in a bonded savings account run by the Treasury Department". The system would go on as the baby is born, factoring in the family's income and how many people were in the family. This would benefit all babies, whether from a high-income or a low-income family. This system would greatly benefit Hispanics/Latinos who're from low-income families to access more educational opportunities that'll help them close the achievement gap from other racial groups.

Ana Hernández Kent