High school seniors may be able to breathe a little easier as they fill in their SAT scores on their college applications. A recent report issued by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) presents some of the issues surrounding standardized testing, and determines the manner in which colleges can better use entrance exams.
The "Report of the Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admissions" presented the results of an NACAC 21-member panel of admissions deans from institutions from around the nation. Led by William R. Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University, the panel analyzed the importance of college entrance exams and tried to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the tests.
The report detailed reasoning from both those who supported standardized testing and those who questioned its importance. Many on the panel felt that while college admissions should not be based solely on standardized test scores, the results of the tests still offered valid statistical information that was helpful in considering applicants, especially in an admissions process that is becoming increasingly competitive.
Others felt that the tests favored those students who had the resources to obtain outside tutoring or could take the tests multiple times. They criticized the third-party influences, such as the thriving test preparation industry, for their role in perpetuating frequent misusage of the tests. They also cited organizations such as the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which requires a minimum PSAT score to qualify for the coveted National Merit Scholarship, and the U.S. News & World Report, which frequently uses test scores in its influential college rankings.
Dissenters of the test also argued that the exams have created a culture of competition among high school students. Students and their parents are willing to go to great lengths to achieve even a small boost in their scores. Others on the panel countered that though this may be true, standardized test scores only end up accounting for a mere percentage of the several factors that colleges consider in making their admissions decisions.
John Mahoney, the director of undergraduate admissions at Boston College, attended last week's NACAC conference, and said that despite its flaws, standardized testing still has its merits. "One reason that standardized test scores are useful is the proliferation of grade inflation in high schools. As a result of this, test scores help colleges to make distinctions among so many qualified students with high grades," Mahoney said.
For students and college admissions staff alike, the controversy of standardized testing lies in two main factors: the validity of the tests in predicting a student's future academic achievement and capability, and the equity of the manner in which students are prepared for the tests. No high school operates in exactly the same manner, and with thousands of students from all across the United States applying to the nation's top universities each year, there may be discrepancies in the level of preparedness for standardized testing among students.
Breanna Jones, A&S '12, said she spent a great deal of time preparing for the SAT, in multiple ways. "I had a tutor, I bought every one of the test prep books, and my school had classes every other day for two hours devoted to test prep for a year," Jones said.
Others, such as Catherine Macek, A&S '12, said that their high schools did not offer them the same advantages. "My school did not prepare me very well for standardized tests; there was just no emphasis on it. Worcester Public Schools did have a free test prep program, but it was only for a limited number of students and it was not very extensive."
Despite their differing experiences, both Macek and Jones received comparable scores on their SAT and SAT II tests. "I only took the SAT one time, but I definitely thought it was vital to college admissions. I stressed about it, and I think I may have been able to do better, but it was a seven-hour, somewhat overwhelming test," Macek said.
Jones stated of her experience, "I took the SAT four times, but even so, I felt that my grades stood as a better example of my academic ability; by far, I am not a wonderful test taker."
While standardized test scores still play a role in BC's admissions application, prospective students can be reassured that there are other factors that are considered. "Standardized tests are one of many variables we consider in admitting students. The best predictor of academic success at Boston College is the rigor of a student's high school curriculum and performance in that curriculum," Mahoney said.
Mahoney said Fitzsimmons' report may not impact whether universities use standardized test scores, but rather how they use them. "The report does not discourage colleges from using test scores but rather encourages them to use test scores responsibly in the admission process. It does encourage colleges to have a clear rationale for using these tests, and to use them in the proper context," Mahoney said. n
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