Colleges dropping SAT from application requirements

By tali yahalom
June 1, 2006

As an increasing number of schools across the country are eliminating standardized tests from their application requirements, Penn -- along with the rest of the Ivy League -- is remaining faithful to a longtime major factor in the admissions process. The Scholastic Aptitude Test and its prime competitor, the American College Test, are key parts to Penn's application, and the University is in no rush to eliminate or make optional the use of either one. Currently, prospective Penn students are required to take either the SAT or the ACT, as well as two SAT subject tests.

"It is highly unlikely that any schools in the Ivy League will eliminate the SAT or make it optional in the near future," said Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson. Stetson noted that standardized tests are "very helpful," along with high school transcripts, in determining how a student will perform once he or she matriculates to college. Stetson and his colleagues are confident in using standardized tests as measuring sticks for their rapidly growing applicant pool. But, other testing officials are less sure of the 105 year old SAT, which has been modified numerous times since its creation in 1901. "SAT scores can be affected by factors other than academic ability," said Robert Schaeffer, the Public Education Director of FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. Admissions officials and the College Board -- the company that administers the SAT --argue that the SAT levels the playing field for applicants, since an A from one high school might not mean the same from a different one. Schaeffer, however, has a different picture in mind. "That playing field can be tilted by coaching," noted Schaeffer, who added that the test also induces test anxiety, thus poorly affecting a student's score.

Knox College in Illinois is among those colleges that have eliminated the SAT or ACT requirement for the class of 2010. "Standardized tests do not measure the qualities we value most," said Dean of Admission Paul Steenis, who pointed to the SAT's "discriminatory effects" against students who cannot afford an expensive tutor. Nine months later, the school is "very happy" with its decision, according to Theresa Jackson, Director of Financial Aid. Still, Fair Test's list of schools that do not require the SAT or ACT spans 700, but also includes a list of ones that never required either test in the first place. For example, a school like Oakland University is on FairTest's list. However, it accepts 82 percent of applicants and will consider SAT or ACT scores if submitted but does not require either test.

Despite the controversy surrounding the SAT, College Board officials are unfazed. "In eliminating standardized tests, school are losing a valuable measurement for evaluating students for admissions," said Caren Scoropanos, a spokesperson for the College Board, but she also noted that each school is still best equipped to determine its own admission policy and process. Calling the SAT an objective standard, Scoropanos added that a student's score is likely to improve over the course of a few months regardless of whether he or she pays a tutor. "Taking a high-priced practice course doesn't necessarily boost scores."