Who's benefiting from
test-optional colleges?
The list of test
optional colleges/universities: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
One
of the most unpleasant roadblocks that teenagers face when getting into college
is taking the ACT or SAT admissions
tests.
Studies
have shown that the most important factors in predicting college success aren't
standardized test scores, but high school grades and the rigor of a student's
high school classes. In contrast, standardized test scores are highly
correlated with income.
On
average, for instance, students whose parents make $150,000 a year are going to
perform better on the SAT than teenagers who live in households making $100,000
and so on down the income ladder.
In
the face of criticism about the relevance and fairness of the standardized
tests, a large number of schools over the years have become test-optional,
which generally means students can apply for admission without submitting their
scores. Just this week, Bryn Mawr College, an elite women's college, became the
latest school to make the ACT and SAT optional.
While
more than 800 institutions are test-optional, a significant number are
open-enrollment schools that allow the vast majority of applicants to attend.
Many of the most selective schools in the test-optional lineup are private
liberal arts colleges. A new study suggests that even though one of the main
motivations that these colleges cite in adopting a test-optional policy is
creating more diverse campuses by improving the admission chances of low-income
and minority students, they're falling short of that target.
Andrew
Belasco, CEO of College Transitions, a college consulting firm in Athens,
Ga., conducted the recently published study that looked at 180 selective
private schools including 32 that have test-optional policies. Overall, Belasco
says, the main beneficiaries of the test-optional policy could be the private
colleges themselves.
A
peak into test-optional policies
When
schools become test-optional, it encourages more students who might have
previously considered their chances of admission to be weak, to apply. More
applications can lead to higher admission rejection rates, which make schools
look more selective. At the same time, the published test scores of individual
colleges could rise because freshmen with lower scores never submit them.
Dueling
test-optional reports
Research
concluded that students who took advantage of test-optional policies and
enrolled were more likely to be women, minorities, low-income and
first-generation students.
The
two studies, however, focused on different things. Hiss's research looked at
postsecondary outcomes such as grade-point averages and graduation rates of
low-income and minority students and concluded that no significant differences
existed between those who submitted test scores and those who didn't.
Based
on who was more likely to keep their test scores a secret, Hiss suggested that
test-optional policies have improved the enrollment of underrepresented groups.
Belasco, however, says results of the earlier research do not support that
conclusion.
Test-optional
policies and wealthy students
"Everybody
is struggling with enrollment, and colleges are looking more and more for
students who have the ability to pay a substantial portion of college,"
Bankston observed. Test-optional policies open the door to take wealthy
students who would have been borderline applicants. "I think a lot of this
is going on behind the scenes," he suggested.
If
your child is interested in a test-optional school, you can find the complete
list of these institutions at FairTest.org.
©
2014 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Well
Known Test Optional Colleges in Florida
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Ft. Lauderdale
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FL
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Miami
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FL
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Daytona Beach
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FL
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Boca Raton
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FL
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Fort Lauderdale
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FL
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Miami Gardens
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FL
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Multiple Sites
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FL
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Fort Myers
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FL
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Jacksonville
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FL
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Winter Park
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FL
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Fort Pierce
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FL
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Jacksonville
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FL
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Pembroke Pines
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FL
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Fort Lauderdale
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FL
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Leesburg
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FL
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Boca Raton
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FL
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Miami
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FL
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Miami
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FL
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Niceville
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FL
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Winter Haven
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FL
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Sarasota
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FL
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Winter
Park
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FL
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Saint Leo
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FL
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Miami
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FL
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Dunedin
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FL
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St. Petersburg
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FL
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Bradenton
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FL
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DeLand
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FL
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Jacksonville
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FL
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