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| SAT and ACT Cling to Foothold amid College Test-Optional Surge |
Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are facing a paradox. While colleges increasingly ditch them for admissions, states cling on, using them to rate high schools. This disconnect sparks questions: are these tests truly relevant if their role in college admissions is fading?
Indiana exemplifies this conundrum. While its flagship university embraces test-optional admissions, high schoolers must still take the SAT. Why? Because it serves as the state's yardstick for school quality under federal law. The rationale? The SAT's national recognition, brevity, and past prevalence in admissions made it a seemingly dependable choice.
Yet, this decision highlights the precarious position of standardized tests. Despite waning influence on college admissions, they maintain a foothold in state evaluations due to federal mandates. This raises concerns about their alignment with what students actually learn and whether they truly measure school effectiveness.
"If we hold schools or students accountable," posits Daniel Koretz, a Harvard education researcher, "the question is, what's the appropriate measure?"
The pandemic-induced test-optional movement fueled concerns about the SAT and ACT's fairness and predictive power. Today, over 1,900 colleges embrace this policy, questioning the tests' value in admissions decisions.
Supporters argue they help compare applicants across high schools with varying grading standards. Some prestigious institutions have even reinstated testing requirements. A study suggests test-optional policies might slightly increase low-income student enrollment.
However, this shift has led to a dramatic drop in test-taking. California, for instance, witnessed a plunge in SAT participation after its public universities went test-blind.
Yet, states like Indiana, where public universities are test-optional but use exams for school ratings, saw stable test-taking rates. In fact, Indiana even witnessed a jump in SAT participation.
This phenomenon stems from policies implemented pre-pandemic. The College Board and ACT, test owners, promoted states administering their exams during school hours at no cost to students. The aim was to eliminate access barriers for low-income students, with some success.
Despite the test-optional trend, many counselors advise students to take advantage of free in-school testing, as a strong score could boost their applications. The College Board and ACT also highlight scholarships linked to high scores.
Currently, 17 states use the SAT or ACT for federal school accountability, while others utilize custom exams or join forces for Common Core-aligned assessments. Both College Board and ACT tout their exams as reliable measures of high school performance, emphasizing alignment with state standards for federal approval.
However, educators like John Fredericks, an English teacher, express concerns. In his Mississippi school, students attend ACT prep regardless of college plans, and teachers are expected to incorporate ACT content into regular classes, even though the ACT isn't the state's accountability test. Fredericks questions the need for such focus if colleges devalue the ACT.
So, what's the future of standardized testing? Will they adapt to remain relevant as college admissions evolve? Or will they fade into obscurity, replaced by more nuanced assessments aligned with actual learning? The answer, like a complex math problem, remains to be solved.
