Should SAT and ACT Test Results Be Optional in College Admissions?

 

Standardized¹ testing is a major part of applying for admission to colleges and universities in the United States.

SAT or ACT results, for example, are just one measure admissions officials use to decide whether to accept an applicant². But many students and parents spend a great deal of time, effort and resources trying to ensure a high score.

For some students, testing can be the most difficult part of the application process. And new research has raised debate about the fairness of standardized tests.

Last month, researchers with the National Association for College Admission Counseling published findings from a series of studies on these tests. They looked at the academic records of over 950,000 students at 28 public and private colleges and universities in the U.S.

Unlike most schools, those chosen for the studies do not require applicants³ to submit SAT or ACT scores. The decision to submit scores is left to the students.

The research found one major finding: The similarity in study program completion rates between those who submitted test results and those who did not. Students who chose not to submit test scores performed a little better. They were found to be one to two percent more likely to complete their study programs in four years than those who did submit test scores.

William Hiss⁴ is a writer of the report, and a former admissions officer at Bates College. The private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine made college entrance examinations optional 30 years ago.

Hiss says his team’s research is proof that standardized tests are not a good measure of how successful a student might be at a given school.

Hiss argues that this is the case because the tests do not measure all the skills students will need in a college environment. They simply measure how a student operates under time pressure which is not the usual situation for college students.

“If students need to stay up until two o’clock in the morning writing their papers, they do it,” he told VOA. “If they are working in a team on an experiment and it takes extra time…they take extra time. If they need help with their writing or math, almost all colleges have writing and math support...So the ways in which standardized testing works are not the ways in which college educations work.”

Hiss adds that many students lack the skills to succeed in high-speed testing environments. Some may be very strong candidates for college, yet avoid applying because they fear the entrance exams. Such candidates may include people with disabilities and non-native English speakers.

Hiss notes that first generation students, minority students, as well as those with little money, are especially affected⁵. His research showed that about 42 percent of students who chose not to submit test scores were members of these groups. Some schools saw their minority population increase as much as 11 percent after they ended the entrance exam requirement.

Hiss says many students from these groups do not have the same chance to prepare for the tests as wealthier white students.

Oscar Schak agrees. He is a top researcher with the Education Trust, a non-profit organization that works to expand education for disadvantaged populations. He says public schools systems that serve poor and minority communities often lack resources that students in richer areas enjoy. And those students can also often pay for even more assistance, such as private tutoring.

Because of this, Schack says, colleges should give more weight to other predictors of academic success, such as high school performance.

“Given that it does raise some barriers... just having to take the exams and pay for the exams, I would argue that institutions should err⁶ on the side of de-emphasizing the exams,” Schak said.

However, Jack⁷ Buckley finds several major problems with the claims the recent research is making. Buckley is a top official with the American Institutes for Research. He says the studies have not shown evidence of widespread problems with entrance exams or their use in the admissions process. And, he argues, no thoughtful admissions official would consider only standardized test results of applicants.

Buckley notes that the companies that administer the SAT and ACT have made many changes to their tests over the years. Buckley worked with the College Board on it most recent changes to the SAT. They took effect in 2016. He says the changes ensured that the tests are designed in a way that is fair to all students.

Many schools actively⁸ accept students with weak test results in order to offer more chances for higher education to disadvantaged populations, Buckley says. Tests also can provide good information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses. That way, colleges and universities can better know what support services they need to offer.

“Blaming a test…for inequality is like blaming a thermometer because a room is hot,” Buckley said. “They do not cause those inequalities. It’s a piece of information that, were I an admissions officer, I would want to know.”

Derek Briggs adds that is it not clear that standardized tests create better admissions conditions for wealthier students. He is a professor of education at the University of Colorado in Boulder⁹. Briggs’s own research has shown that for-profit services that claim to be able improve test results have little real effect.

In fact, his research shows that private lessons led to less than a 20 percent increase on either part of the SAT.

“The conventional wisdom is that the effects of the test preparation are much, much higher,” he said. “But there’s not a lot evidence to support that.”

However, Briggs admits his research is about 10 years old.

I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Caty Weaver¹⁰.

Words in This Story

standardized testing – n. any form of testing that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a consistent manner

apply(ing) - to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan, usually in writing

academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education

submit – v. to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone so that it can be considered or approved

optional - adj. available as a choice but not required

disabilities – n. conditions such as an illness or an injury that damage or limit a person's physical or mental abilities

disadvantaged – adj. lacking the things such as money and education that are considered necessary for an equal position in society

tutoring – n. special lessons involving just one student and one teacher

institution(s) – n. an established organization

de-emphasizing – v. taking away attention from something

thermometer – n. an instrument used for measuring temperature

conventional wisdom - n. opinions or beliefs that are held or accepted by most people

1 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。

2 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

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 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 err   

vi.犯错误，出差错

参考例句：

• He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
• The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

9 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。