STANDARDIZED TESTS CAN SERVE AS A NEUTRAL YARDSTICK

• Published in: Education next Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 67 - 70
• Main Author: Buckley, Jack
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Hoover Institution Press 22.06.2020; Education Next Institute
• Subjects: Admission Criteria; Admissions policies; College Admission; College admissions; Grade Point Average; Standardized tests; Students; Universities; United States > US; California
• ISSN: 1539-9664; 1539-9672

(While Hampshire College in Massachusetts has a published test-blind policy, that institution will look at students’ submitted International Baccalaureate, AP, and SAT Subject Test scores, just not their ACT and SAT I scores.) The most common form of test-optional policy encourages applicants to submit their college-entrance examination (usually ACT or SAT) scores only if they believe that so doing will help their chances of admission. Both the ACT and SAT are aligned with state content standards in mathematics and English language arts—which is one reason some states use college-entrance exams as their state accountability test in place of longer, state-specific assessments. Yet evidence fails to show that the ecosystem of test-prep providers, consultants, and coaches does much more than profit from parental anxiety. [...]both major testing companies that oversee the ACT and SAT have introduced free test-preparation materials in an attempt to offset any advantage of test prep, although the efficacy of such offerings is unknown. [...]given the amount of parental anxiety over the elite selective-admissions process, it’s likely that the widespread adoption of test-flexible and -optional policies would simply cause a shift in emphasis to test prep for any new required tests (IB, AP, Smarter Balanced) and to pricey tutoring for boosting high-school GPA.