Recordpub.com - Colleges going SAT-optional Standardized tests losing value

By Dave O'Brien
Record-Courier staff writer
Scared by the SAT? Agonizing over the ACT? Fear not. You might be able to skip standardized testing and still get into college.
A growing trend among liberal arts colleges in the United States is to drop the SAT/ACT requirement altogether over questions of fairness and accuracy and whether the tests are truly representative of a student's knowledge.
The list of colleges and universities that have gone SAT/ACT-optional is increasing: Fully 12 that have gone this route are on U.S. News and World Report's list of the "Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges" in the nation, according to FairTest.org, the Web site for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, an organization critical of the SAT.
And Drew University in New Jersey, with an enrollment of 2,500, received a record 4,000 applications for enrollment after changing their policies to make the SAT and ACT optional for applicants, USA Today recently reported.
Higher education officials in the area said they are watching the trend evolve. Of Kent State University's eight campuses, only the regional Stark and Tuscarawas campuses are SAT and ACT optional, and then only for in-state applicants. Out-of-state applicants are still required to submit standardized test scores.
"I'm aware of the trends, but we have not really had extensive conversations around it," said Robert Frank, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at KSU. "We know high school GPA is a much better predictor of performance than ACT scores. If we have to weigh one thing, we've found the grade point average weighs better than the ACT."
At Hiram College, "more info is better than less info" when it comes to admitting students, said Jim Barrett, Hiram's associate vice president for new student enrollment. Many factors go into admissions decisions at the 1,100-student school, he said.
"It really comes down to your personal and professional philosophies. There's so much pressure on folks that sit in my chair to profile-build. "Can you get those test scores higher?' "Can you look better to U.S. News and World Report?'," Barrett said. "Some schools are positioned that they're going to have five or six times more straight-A, high-activity, AP class fantastic students than they have slots, and you see a lot of those upper-echelon schools becoming test-optional."
Barrett said admissions decisions aren't made based solely on test scores, and he is "still a fan" of having additional information to see if a student has a good chance to succeed. Students can overcome low test scores and curriculum can factor into the grades of a B-minus student who might otherwise test well.
"That's where the test grades give you that extra piece of data, that extra data point. If they're testing at or above their grades they're very comfortable taking tests. Again, this whole enterprise is finding the right fit and right match for a student to be successful," he said. "You should never deny a perfect student for your college based on a test score."
Barrett said it will be interesting to watch SAT/ACT-optional institutions and how current decisions impact retention rates in the future. And he said the key to admissions policy is not in the requirements, but what admissions personnel do with the information.
"You make the decision that your school is the right one for that student. I think ultimately, what we should be trying to do in my profession is admit students who have a good chance to succeed and deny those who are working against themselves," Barrett said.