Dartmouth College's report on standardized testing suggests that opting not to submit SAT scores lowered the admission probabilities for high-achieving less-advantaged and U.S. first-generation college-going applicants. The test-optional policy may have biased the selection process in favor of higher-income applicants and discouraged lower-income students from taking the SAT/ACT. MIT's decision to return to testing was influenced by historical data on the performance of test-optional admits. The report also indicates that SAT scores still predict college performance for those who don't report them, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Tests work. Dartmouth's new report on standardized testing has lots of the findings everyone else has found, including: SAT scores still predict performance in college for people who don't report them: SAT scores predict performance in college for the rich and the poor: When… https://t.co/bwfIIR7422
In light of @dartmouth returning to testing, here's a thread based on @NYMag piece I wrote last year on MIT and why it dug into its historical data rather than doing what many other colleges are doing: looking at how test-optional admits are performing: https://t.co/30BDuwNJW2 https://t.co/LO0xE2WgTd
In light of MIT returning to testing, here's a thread based on @NYMag piece on why MIT dug into its historical data rather than doing what many other schools are doing: looking at how recent test-optionalclasses are performing: https://t.co/30BDuwNJW2 https://t.co/LO0xE2WgTd
When you take away the SAT/ACT, you make the selection process even more biased for higher-income applicants. When you make it optional, you discourage lower-income students from even taking a chance on the SAT/ACT. https://t.co/RGmFwAqOCk
“High-achieving less-advantaged and U.S. first-generation college-going applicants lowered their Dartmouth admissions probabilities by opting not to submit a score.” Dartmouth College found that going test-optional for admissions hurt the chances of less-advantaged applicants: https://t.co/VNz5lm0fDe
Super interesting - especially the piece about lower-income students withholding SAT scores that would have helped them get in. There are strong priors on both sides of this issue. Hopefully evidence on the effects of policy changes like this will move us forward! https://t.co/KEdZesnDkB