For the upcoming spring and fall terms, the WSU system has announced that it will not require SAT or ACT scores for incoming freshmen applicants. This decision aligns with hundreds of other U.S. colleges, and it’s long overdue. In lieu of this major step that could move mountains for higher education, let’s re-evaluate the importance of college entrance exams and how they could cause significant harm for students everywhere.
During the 2020 academic year, over one-third of SAT testing sites closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The College Board, a national non-profit organization that administers the SATs, anticipated only half the amount of students will take the SATs this year, as compared to last fall. Fortunately, over 1,650 colleges and universities will not require SAT or ACT scores from this year’s high school seniors, the Boston Globe reported.
College entrance exams have been criticized in the past for not accurately measuring students’ academic skills and capability to succeed in college. A factor universities should consider is looking at GPAs for a more robust indicator of students’ capabilities, as it captures success factors that a four hour test cannot. A study conducted at the University of Chicago found that GPAs have a much stronger correlation with college graduation rates than SAT scores, according to Forbes. The study overall reported standardized tests measure a small set of necessary skills for college success, and a good score does not necessarily translate into adequate preparation for college courses.
Another concern is that students can only study for entrance exams successfully if they have the financial means. Many schools are still offering scholarships based on standardized test scores and taking the test amid a third COVID-19 surge may be the only gateway to affordable college. However, if you consider the vast number of low-income students, particularly students of color, who cannot afford to drive hundreds of miles to a distant testing site, ultimately leads them to opt-out of taking the SATs and thus submitting vulnerable applications for financial aid.
In getting rid of these inaccurate and inequitable exams, colleges must review every application with thoughtful eyes and a sense of compassion. A student who has stellar grades should be given as much consideration for acceptance as a student who has a part-time job to support their family. In an era of celebrating diversity and recognizing the unique story behind every individual, we have to progress beyond a test that never measured one’s potential for success in the first place.
This path to educational equity will be difficult and getting rid of college entrance exams is only the beginning. However, colleges must accept and adapt to the fact that lifelong prosperity cannot be measured with a Scantron bubble sheet. If we want to truly believe in the system that shapes our future leaders, we must transition to a more inclusive method of measuring students’ capabilities.