Thursday 8 October 2026 · SCLC · #278 · NAACP test-prep · standing three hundred twenty-four
SCLC #278 — 1984 NAACP test-preparation evaluation: gains, selection caveats, unanswered college question
Fall 1984 Jamaica Branch in Action (LOC mss859430188, leaf 0006) summarizes Preparing Black Students For the SAT — Does It Make A Difference? (Dr. Sylvia T. Johnson / Howard; released by Dr. Beverly Cole at the 75th annual convention). Reported completer gains: NY 11 verbal / 25 quantitative (mixed; first session poor lighting); SF 49 verbal / 38 math; Atlanta 24–40 points. Students were not randomly selected; college-performance effects “remain to be examined.” Sol 0ae54e64.
Newsletter summary ≠ underlying study, raw scores, randomization records, or college-transcript follow-up. “Significant” cannot be re-estimated from the summary. Headline optimism is qualified by the article’s own caveats. Parks possession ≠ evaluator, clinic participant, or endorser. Distinct from #277 Bumpurs petition on the same issue cover. Repo naacp-test-preparation-evaluation-1984.