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Should Golleges SriII Bequire lhe SETIACT? Fij,',ffi1f:l'f,if if "'.tl;::i;l:l,l1s"T"i;Jit;il,ff"';'n"I students took one of the two standardized tests that are required I as part of the admissions process at many U.S. colleges' But there I have long been complaints that the tests are biased, and a recent college admissions scandal included allegations of cheating on the tests'
Representatives of a standardized testing company and an organization that advocates for test fairness face off about whether colleges should require these tests.
ITII|!) Colleges make admission decisions based used as one of many pieces of information, help colleges
I EDilil:l:JfiJffl"J:,i}?$,ll'JLo.,, il:nnXTJil,ftiiiiliii;:',':f:','.?l::TL':H::i:., Grade inflation is rampant. Courses taken? Rigor can vary test scores in combination, results in better predictions. dramatically from one school to anotheri which also affects Your test scores reflect what you've learned through your grades. Class rank? lt depends on a hard work in school. Let's say you and
i:1,:?:"1i:#;::[Yi::;i:l:ffiT];' stqndnrdized test :ff:ffffi;::il:l:|T;:T:il"'" All highly subjective. SCOTeS help cOllegeS earned an A. But the course you took rvas
The only factor that allows colleges mAke bellef, lffifef more rigorous, and you had to work a lot
l;::IlH,::i',Tj':.;::::r,, decisions. [T,i'JJil:il.']il;[:,.;::J;:actua v standardized test scores. better prepared to succeed in a colleqe'
Your ACT/SAT scores mean the same thing regardless level math course-than the other student, even thouqh Yc"' of your background, gender, race, or how much money transcripts look identical. But how do colleges know this? Yc-rr your parents make. They allow colleges to compare standardized test scores can tell that story. students who attend different schools, live in different The ultimate goal of admission criteria should be:c states, take different courses, and earn different grades ensure that students land where they have the besl from different teachers on an apples-to-apples basis. No chance to succeed. Standardized test scores clearly heip other admission factor can do that. accomplish this goal' .
More information is always better than less information -WAYNE CAMARA when making important decisions. And ACTiSAT scores, Horace Mann Research Chair' ACT
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ANALYZE THE ARGUMENTS Cast your vote, and see instant results at UPFROf, TINAOAZITE.GOTI
BY THE
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I 9a million
NUMBER of students in the
Class of 2018 who took the ACT.
SOURCEI ACT
aT million
NUMBER of students in the Class of 2018 who took the
SAT. SOURCE: THE COLLEGEBOARO
2
1,048 NUMBER of
bachelorl degree granting colleges that have test'
optional policies. SOURCEi FAIRTEST,
NUMBER AS OF AU6. 28, 2019.
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l H;'# " " more schools stopped requiring the SAT or the ACT. ln addition, test-optionalpolicies strongly appealto high
More than 1,000 U,S. schools that grant bachelor's school students. Having grown up taking standardized degrees currently make admissions tests constantly, many teens appreciate
ffil; i:?'i,lxT::iJ:::1:'J',""" rhe EGr ..nd sar beins treated as "more than a score'"
optionatinstitutions ranse rrom huse hnve builr-in bicrses il:rl:J:tl'.'$::1t'.'":'.:::3:" multicampus state schools, such as the IhAt lffyOf While, rigor-not fitting in muttipte-choice University of Texas, to many smaller,
'IIlUent StrdenlS bubbtes.private colleges. ' On both sides of the admissions
These tests are not a level playing field equation, test-optional policies make for all students. ln fact, research has long shown that both sense. Schools that drop ACT/SAT requirements attract more tests have built-in biases that favor white students from applicants who are more diverse. Two recent studies of about more-affluent families. Many minority groups tend to score 30 schools found that students admitted without providing lower, in part because of test bias. these test scores did as well in college as those who submitted
The multimillion-dollar test prep industry has exacerbated them. That's why the test-optional movement is growing so this problem. lt's common for students f rom wealthy or even rapidly. ln the past decade, nearly 200 schools have dropped middle-class families to take courses from companies like ACT/SAT requirements. Many more should follow. . Princeton Review to improve their scores, But students who -BOB SCHAEFFER grow up in low-income households can't afford expensive pubfic Education Director, FalrTest
ocroBER 7,2019 23
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