I have met some wonderful students from this area, and besides our frequent requests to hear each other's respective accents (My Boston accent is nearly non-existent, but these kids had their up-state NY accents on full blast!), there have been many questions about how we view standardized test scores. Typical conversation goes something like this:
Student: "How much do you weigh the SAT and ACT?"
Me: "Well, we are actually test-optional so you don't have to submit SAT/ACT scores for admission.
Student: But if I don't send them it will look bad right?"
Me: Nope! The best indicator for us to know how well you'll do at Stonehill, is how well you are doing here and not the scores of the SAT/ACT.
Student: really?
Really!
School counselors in High School tend to get excited when they find out about another school that has abandoned the SAT. They tell me that they have always felt the SAT was hurting some of their brightest kids in terms of Admission into college, and by adding the writing section, the time it takes to complete the test has become an issue as well.
So why has it taken so long for Colleges to get the message?
I suppose stats have something to do with it...
SAT averages are a criterion of the coveted US News and World Report College Rankings. And most College Trustees want their school to be ranked as high as possible. SAT's are universally known, so if you are able to quote high averages, than your school has instant prestige in the eyes of many. The SAT has been ingrained in our society as the tell-tale indicator of intelligence. And admit it or not I bet most of the parents out there reading this are able to recall right away their own SAT score...but what if I asked you what your High School GPA was? Could you recall that?
Well, Stonehill is one of about 800 schools in this country who have attempted to put the spotlight back on a student's performance and course selection in High School as the most important measures of Admission. While I can't speak for all Colleges and Universities that have removed the SAT as a requirement I can tell you that there are at least 3 reasons why I feel we made this decision:
- The SAT is not reliable as a stand-alone indicator of success in college
Sure if you take SAT scores together with results in high school, you do get some increased validity...But tell that to the student who can't afford to take the test 4 times to improve their score or can't pay for that expensive test prep program which promises to (and in most cases can) raise their score at least 100 points.
- We can do just as good a job admitting quality students without the test.
Don't take my word for it. Ask Bates. They have been test-optional for over 20 years and they found that the average difference in freshman year GPA's between submitters and non-submitters of the SAT was .01! This was not a small sampling over a few years, rather this sample was made up of every single student that attended Bates over the span of 20 years! 20! and the differences were non-existent. The found the same results when looking at graduation rates too!
- We can't ignore how the SAT tends to adversely effect underrepresented populations like first-generation students and students of color
As family income levels rise, so do the average SAT results of the students who are taking them. SAT average scores are lower across the board for the very populations who need the most assistance in the admissions process; namely historically underrepresented populations, including first-generation students and students of color. I believe that an indicator so intertwined with socio-economic status should not be a requirement in the admission process.
That is why I am glad that Stonehill made this decision, and why I think many others (Wake Forest being the most recent) will continue to do the same.
Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, a student's admission into college shouldn't be torn down in a single SATurday...
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