Ripped from the Headlines: An Update from the Wonderful World of Standardized Testing/Update on Test

This update is cobbled together from several sources, but I thought it best to connect everything into a single article. To say the Collegeboard and ACT had a rough summer is an understatement. A suspect rollout and execution of AP exams in May, followed by a rollback of a plan to offer an online version of the SAT, and a complete lack of on-ground SAT testing because of COVID-19 (and a similar problem for the ACT exam by the parent company of the same name) left all of us in the industry scratching our heads (and sometimes yelling into the air for no reason). Now we have the ruling that you just read about in the prior article that prevents the University of California from even considering the SAT and/or ACT in admission decisions. At the rate these two companies are going, along with the perception of standardized testing in modern admission decisions (as recently commented on by NACAC’s Task Force on Standardized Testing), I would be surprised if they are both operating ten years from now.

The number of schools that have been forced to move to a test-optional phase (for at least this graduating class) has grown by leaps and bounds since I last wrote the CKQ. There are now, according to fairtest.org, as of early September, over 1,550 four-year, accredited U.S. colleges and universities that are test-optional. What does this mean? It’s just like the name suggests: if you wish to submit an SAT and/or ACT score as part of your application, you are welcomed to do so, and it will be considered in the larger application review (it will also likely be part of a scholarship/merit-aid review as well). If, however, you have no scores (courtesy of COVID), or do not wish to exercise your score that you did earn, you can opt out of submitting the score for this graduating class. Some schools, like the California State University system, have a two-year hiatus in place, some schools are extending the test-optional window even longer than that, and the rest of those applications will be reviewed with no harm coming to the applicant.

Colleges and universities have gone out of their way, along with the NACAC, to impress upon young people and their families that taking a health risk to sit for one of these exams is simply unnecessary. This includes nearly every school in the top 90 of the U.S. News & World Report National Universities rankings (only the University of Florida and Florida State University continue to require standardized tests as part of their admission packages – this as of Sept. 12). While I generally agree with this sentiment, I know it will not stop panicked parents and students from pursuing these “high-stakes” exams. Before everyone goes and takes a test (or tries to), let me at least suggest a rationale for doing so.

If you are a senior, you should have a good idea of your college list at this stage. You should also have a sense of what the average admitted student looks like on paper (GPA and test scores, along with admission percentage) for each of these institutions. Step #1: have you taken a full-length practice test in the exam you are enrolled to take? Assuming you have, what did you score? Are you likely to get an official score AT LEAST above last year’s 50th percentile score at the schools you are applying to? You’re probably thinking, “Rob… what are you talking about?” Here’s a specific example of what I mean.

You believe your top choice school is USC. Last year, the middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1360 and 1530 on the SAT, with an average (50th percentile) of 1440 (data from Princetonreview.com and Prepscholar.com). My assessment of your situation would be that if you do not believe you can achieve a score of at least 1440 on the test, you are probably better off going test-optional. If, however, you think that is a score you have a reasonably good shot at, the risk and the reward may make sense.

I say, may because I have no idea if you are a healthy student, have any underlying health conditions, or have parents/grandparents/etc. you live with that have health issues or underlying conditions. If you are in that group (the one with health considerations for yourself or immediate family), then I see no reason to make a challenging situation potentially much worse by taking the SAT or ACT. Stay home. Save lives.

The big issue being raised by the aforementioned NACAC Testing Task Force is about access and equity for all. In effect, they state that they want to ensure that the standardized testing portion of the application process is fair and equitable for everyone, both here in the United States and abroad. I think this is certainly taking the moral high ground and the right thing to do, but let’s also consider the other side of the coin – at most colleges and universities, the entire admission process is neither fair nor equitable. I would strongly recommend reading ‘The Secrets of Elite College Admissions’, by Jeffrey Salingo. Mr. Salingo had the opportunity to be embedded in three selective college admission offices (Davidson University, Emory University and the University of Washington), and detailed just how much intangible information in an applicant’s dossier (along with the specific needs of each institution), can and does influence an admit/waitlist/deny decision. Plenty of examples even showed how a student could be in one group (admit) and end up in another (waitlist or deny), based on the needs of the institution! There is little in the decision-making process that is particularly fair to the applicants, but that’s just it – who said it was fair?

As I have told you, my readers, and the families I work with each and every year, these 1,650 or so four-year, not-for-profit institutions of higher learning are BUSINESSES. As soon as you understand that and treat them as such, you will have a much clearer sense of their deeper motivations. Do I think they want fairness and equity? Absolutely. Do I think they can all achieve that AND run their businesses profitably? NO WAY. And that’s the rub. Recognize all of the small values that go into these very tough admission decisions and you will see a picture that is much more convoluted than your classes, grades and test scores can tell.

Let’s move on to one more testing topic that is on the mind of some of the high achievers who took the PSAT last October. The preliminary data on National Merit Scholarship qualifications has been revealed. In California, the minimum qualifying score for National Merit Semi-Finalists is 221, down one point from last year, and the Golden State’s students tied for 5th in the nation with that 221 score (three states and the District of Columbia tied for the top spot with a 222). A total of 1,942 California seniors should have been notified in September that they are Semi-Finalists for the award pool (data courtesy of Compassprep.com).

While there are still some monumentally large questions looming (like, if I am a semi-finalist, do I still need to have a commensurate SAT score as part of the verification process to move on to finalist or award winner stage?), it’s a really nice feather in the cap for one of these young people who achieved a score in (or near) the top 1% of the state.

There are many questions on standardized testing that are still being figured out (as you can see in this article).Please feel free to touch base with me when you have questions or concerns about this topic.