2008 Woodie Awards
Growing number of colleges offer test-optional admissions
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Campus
MILWAUKEE - Elizabeth Byers didn't really worry about having the academic chops to get in to college.
She was valedictorian at Reedsburg Area High School and had a nice set of scores: a 4.0 GPA, a 29 on the ACT and a 1,980 on the SAT.
Still, when Lawrence University asked if she wanted her test scores to be considered, she checked the "no" box. And breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was just sort of like, 'Oh! That's nice!'" Byers said. "So many kids are really great students and don't have great test scores. I have good test scores, but if they were going to recognize me for what I did in school, I wanted to take advantage of that."
Lawrence, in Appleton, Wis., is among a growing list of more than 750 colleges and universities that have some kind of test-optional admissions, according to FairTest, a Massachusetts nonprofit that opposes heavy reliance on the tests. The trend comes as standardized tests have faced increased scrutiny for possible bias against students who are the first in their family to go to college, minorities and non-native English speakers.
Advocates of test-optional policies point to studies showing students who don't submit scores have lower average test scores than other admitted students, but get better grades once they enter college.
Critics argue standardized tests are essential tools for admissions officers who have to deal with grade inflation in secondary school GPAs and an increasingly murky definition of high school class rank.
She was valedictorian at Reedsburg Area High School and had a nice set of scores: a 4.0 GPA, a 29 on the ACT and a 1,980 on the SAT.
Still, when Lawrence University asked if she wanted her test scores to be considered, she checked the "no" box. And breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was just sort of like, 'Oh! That's nice!'" Byers said. "So many kids are really great students and don't have great test scores. I have good test scores, but if they were going to recognize me for what I did in school, I wanted to take advantage of that."
Lawrence, in Appleton, Wis., is among a growing list of more than 750 colleges and universities that have some kind of test-optional admissions, according to FairTest, a Massachusetts nonprofit that opposes heavy reliance on the tests. The trend comes as standardized tests have faced increased scrutiny for possible bias against students who are the first in their family to go to college, minorities and non-native English speakers.
Advocates of test-optional policies point to studies showing students who don't submit scores have lower average test scores than other admitted students, but get better grades once they enter college.
Critics argue standardized tests are essential tools for admissions officers who have to deal with grade inflation in secondary school GPAs and an increasingly murky definition of high school class rank.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
J
posted 4/03/08 @ 1:52 PM EST
Standardized tests are a fact of the American education system. Having all students entering college be judged on a level playing field allows admissions officers the chance to look at academic performance for just that. (Continued…)
I r edukated at bg
matthew koogler
posted 4/03/08 @ 4:10 PM EST
if the standardized tests hadn't been there in the first place, it wouldn't be an issue. There are plenty of criteria for what defines a good student, or a student who has learned--many more than just taking a high-stakes multiple choice test. (Continued…)
Kitchen Appliances
posted 11/11/08 @ 9:55 AM EST
Why would they have this box available, of course the results matter, it's a joke really.
MichelleOsama
posted 11/11/08 @ 9:57 PM EST
(More) Grade Inflation, here we come(as if, comparably, getting a 4.0 at BGSU would be the same as earning a 4.0 at UM...please)! Further dumbing down of the American educational system to placate and appease parents and their underachieving, lazy, delusionally entitled children. (Continued…)
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