What is a “test optional” college?

It is a college and/or university that deemphasizes the use of standardized tests by making admissions decisions about substantial numbers of applicants who recently graduated from U.S. high schools without using the SAT or ACT. Some schools exempt students who meet grade-point average or class rank criteria while others require SAT or ACT scores but use them only for placement purposes or to conduct research studies.

“Testing hall of shame” proposed by FairTest.org

This week at the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, Mr. Schaeffer, public-education director for FairTest, described his plans to compile a “testing hall of shame” — a list of colleges that use cutoff scores in their evaluations of applicants. According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

He hopes that the list will persuade such institutions to stop relying on minimum ACT and SAT scores, a practice that the National Association for College Admission Counseling, among other groups, has condemned. Mr. Schaeffer predicted that more and more colleges would go test-optional as the “demand” for such policies grew among future applicants. If nothing else, the “testing hall of shame” would make for a memorable press release in a world of bland press releases. Mr. Schaeffer, who hopes to publish the list in the fall, said it would include only colleges that explicitly state their cutoffs (some institutions use them without saying so). This would be one distinction that colleges probably won’t tout on their Web sites.

The controversy over the benefits of using tests and not using tests for admission standards will no doubt continue. However, if your college-bound teen’s SAT scores are less than stellar, you might want to check out the list of colleges at FairTest.org. The list is growing with Colorado College and Marist College adding their names to the list.