Last week the College of Saint Rose, located in Albany, announced that it will make standardized college entrance examinations optional for admission, beginning with the class entering in fall 2013. This new test-optional admissions policy means that applicants will now be able to choose whether they want their SAT or ACT scores considered as part of their admission application.
One of our Ed Speaks editorial board members, who coincidentally is a St. Rose alumnus, shared the announcement with our team with the following commentary:
“The section from the release pasted below really struck me (I bolded the middle paragraph myself), especially with all of the discussions we’ve had lately about education reform and the practice of tying performance on standardized tests to teacher performance:
In adopting the policy, Saint Rose joins a growing number of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions that no longer require standardized test scores. According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (www.fairtest.org), nearly 850 four-year colleges, including some of the nation’s most selective, do not require the SAT I or ACT to admit substantial numbers of bachelor degree applicants.
While many top-tier colleges and large universities continue to rely on standardized tests, research suggests that these tests do not accurately predict college success and that test scores are closely correlated with family income levels or reflect a possible racial or gender bias.
“Our own data show that there is a wider pool of students who perform well in college preparatory high school courses who we believe would be successful at Saint Rose but for the fact that they do not perform well on one four-hour standardized test. Our new policy eliminates that roadblock,” said Mary Grondahl, vice president for enrollment management.
What do you think about colleges choosing to make standardized tests optional for admission?