VOA慢速英语--美国大学将来还会要求SAT或ACT考试吗？

Even before the COVID-19 health crisis¹, many American colleges and universities started to reconsider the value of tests like the SAT and ACT.

Standardized² tests have been criticized for many years. Some education experts argue that they only show how well a student takes tests instead of how much they have learned.

International students and students who did not grow up speaking English have struggled with these tests in the past. Because of this, some universities ended their test requirement.

Research from the company that creates one of these tests, ACT Inc., shows that the number of test-optional schools increased by 200, to over 900, from 2014 to 2019.

But when large group activities, such as testing events for students, were canceled in 2020, even more colleges became "test-optional." This means they do not require, but will still accept, standardized test scores in students' applications.

As a result, many colleges that are known to be highly selective in their admissions policies received more applicants³ than usual.

A recent story in the Washington Post newspaper said the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known as MIT, had 66 percent more applicants in 2021 than it did in 2020. The University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA, received 28 percent more.

The research by ACT Inc. showed that many schools will continue their test-optional policy after the coronavirus health crisis ends.

Eric Hoover writes about college admissions for the Chronicle of Higher Education. He said colleges will continue to consider test scores. But test-optional policies should help students who struggle with tests.

"If you're someone who doesn't love taking tests and you feel like tests are not the best representation⁴ of who you are as a student and what your potential is, then I think it's fair to say that the world's getting a little kinder and gentler for the many, many, great students who for whatever reason just don't fare as well on the ACT or the SAT, those kind of standardized tests."

Earlier this year, VOA spoke⁵ with Kidist Bekele, a student from Annandale High School in northern Virginia. She was born in Eritrea and only recently came to the U.S.

VOA spoke to her again to ask about test-optional applications. Bekele said she had taken the SAT before the pandemic and was not happy with her score of 1120 out of a possible 1600. She was planning to take the test again, but it was canceled. She was glad that colleges considered her whole record and did not disqualify her because her score was lower than she hoped.

"I know a lot of people that are really good with school, have a good GPA, but still don't do good on the ACT. I think it's all about using time and test-taking skills."

She was accepted to a number of universities and is currently⁶ considering George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Virginia Commonwealth⁷ University and Virginia Tech. All three schools were test-optional and she did not send her score.

Bekele said she moved out of English as a Second Language classes two years ago. But she still had trouble with some of the reading parts of the tests.

"The writing was easier than the reading, but the reading was very hard," she said. "For people like me, it's not a good representation of what people do in school."

Hoover, the education writer, noted⁸ that universities use test scores for reasons other than deciding who gets in. They use them as a way to find out which students to recruit⁹ and as a way to decide to whom they might offer financial aid.

Bekele said she understands test-optional schools may still use test scores to make a choice between one student who submitted a score and one who did not.

"They might choose that student even though it was a test-optional school. It would definitely be recognized," she said.

Zoe Coyle is from Cleveland, Ohio. She will start her first year at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts in the autumn. Tufts was test-optional, but she still sent her scores. Her high school's advisor¹⁰ told students to do that. "If we didn't," she said, "then it would be telling the school that we were below average."

She said test-optional admissions give students who are outstanding at something other than academics the confidence to send applications. She spoke about her friends who wanted to study music and theater in college. They chose not to send their scores.

Coyle said she sees how test scores can help colleges choose students, but she is pleased that they are making scores less important.

"It does feel like notes from teachers and personal essays are way more important, and it kind of feels like colleges are leaning into that more. And for some colleges, COVID kind of gave them the opportunity to take bigger steps in that direction, which I guess is one of the few benefits of COVID."

ACT Inc. said about 30 percent more schools put a test-optional policy in place in 2020. Whether they continue that policy may depend on how the current group of college students perform.

Words in This Story

optional –adj. available as a choice but not required

potential –n. a quality that something has that can be developed to make it better

fare –v. to do something well or badly

standardized –v. things that are similar and consistent¹¹

disqualify –v. to stop or prevent (someone) from doing, having, or being a part of something

recruit –v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.

tuition¹² –n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

confidence –n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

note –n. a short letter

essay –n. a short piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject

lean in –v. to give your time or effort in order to do something or make something better

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

3 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

4 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 recruit   

n.招聘，新兵，新成员；v.恢复，补充，招募

参考例句：

• The country's first act would be to recruit for the navy.国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
• This is a nationwide campaign to recruit women into trade unions.这是一次吸收妇女参加工会的全国性运动。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 consistent   

adj.坚持的，一贯的，一致的，符合的

参考例句：

• He has been a consistent friend to the Chinese people.他是中国人民始终如一的朋友。
• His action is always consistent with his words.他始终言行一致。

12 tuition   

n.（某一学科的）教学，讲授，指导，学费

参考例句：

• Students can apply for individual tuition.学生可以申请个别指导。
• Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗？