Institutions of higher education should place less of a focus on standardized testing when it comes to admissions decisions, according to a Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admissions report published by the National Association for College Admission Counselling.
The report notes that external factors can and will affect how well students score on standardized tests and also states that these tests do not holistically measure students’ capabilities.
“Access to test preparation will always be differentiated based on family income, school setting, and other variables external to the student,” the report states, outlining the faults it finds with standardized testing. “There are limitations to what admission tests measure, a point on which the Commission is in agreement. A growing field of research, in education and psychology, suggests different approaches to evaluation that may allow for broader and more inclusive review of individual talents.”
Arthur McCann, associate director of college counseling at the Master School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., worked on the commission — led William Fitzsimmons, head of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University — and said the report suggests that colleges and universities should place less emphasis on tests such as the SAT, perhaps even making those tests optional. According to McCann, many admissions and higher education experts are already noticing a national trend toward optional standardized testing. Universities such as Wake Forest University and Smith College have made the standardized tests optional already, along with a number of other higher education institutions.
“Optional testing is something that is increasingly popular,” McCann said. “Colleges do perform research and do prove that the greatest indicator of success in college is not standardized testing but essays, extracurriculars and performance in the classroom.”
According to McCann, the report also explains that high school students who show a desire to spread out their interests and properly budget their time will continue to do that in college.
Robert Schaeffer, public education director for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, said the University of Virginia could take the report’s suggestions into account.
“There is no reason why a highly competitive school like U.Va. cannot take the lead in adopting the test-optional image,” Schaeffer said. “The high school record, leadership, community service and extracurricular activities suffice because [the admissions officers] already have all the info they need in evaluating applicants. Test scores are not necessary.”
Associate Dean of University Admissions Parke Muth said the University already takes multiple factors into account when evaluating student applicants.
“For us, the most important thing is the academic program and performance,” he said. “The other factors we consider are recommendations from teachers, coaches and employers; short-answer questions and essays, which tell us a bit more about the student and allow us to hear his or her voice. We look at honors and awards from students who bring more than just academic preparation. And then we also ask students who have special talents to let us know about them.”
In response to the report’s claims, The College Board released a statement mostly agreeing with the commission’s findings. According to the statement, The College Board acknowledges that test preparation varies depending on a student’s financial situation and school setting and that preparation in turn nominally affects standardized testing scores. Furthermore, according to the statement, The College Board strongly supports NACAC’s “decision to further study the efficacy of commercial test preparation and agree with the need to educate students and families about current and future findings regarding commercial test preparation” and strongly agrees “with the Commission that the SAT should not be the sole determinant of college admissions.”
The College Board’s statement also notes, however, that the SAT remains relevant and important.
“Hundreds of national research studies show that the SAT is a valid predictor of college success, and it also serves the important function of guarding against grade inflation at the high school level,” the release states. “We have long advised that the best use of the SAT in the admission process is in combination with high school grades. The SAT and high school grades are both very predictive of first-year college success and, because they are slightly different measures, together, they are extremely powerful.”
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