When the decision for colleges and universities to go test-optional spread rapidly through the country like a wildfire due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAT started to lose its relevance. Harvard University decided to go test-optional until 2026 to limit the weight of standardized tests in the admission process due to their biased nature, which disproportionately disadvantages students of color and those from low-income families. In 2020, universities in the University of California system decided to steer away from the SAT and ACT permanently for similar reasons.
While some students took this opportunity to pursue other passions which would enhance their applications, 83% of surveyed students indicated a preference toward having the option to submit test scores. This reveals that the high school graduating class of 2022 continues to place value on the SAT. Despite the high-stress environment that testing can cause, students are hesitant to relinquish this opportunity to bolster their applications. This comes from the uncertainty over whether those who decide not to submit test scores will be disadvantaged over those who do.
The College Board’s announcement about the SAT shifting to a digital platform could be seen as an effort to acknowledge the growing lack of confidence in the exam.
“In a largely test-optional world, the SAT is a lower-stakes test in college admissions,” Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at the College Board, said.
Recognizing the shift in consensus over the importance of the test, the College Board is now attempting to make the testing experience align with its smaller role in the college admissions process. The changes, which will go into effect in the U.S. by 2024 and globally by 2023, are meant to meet the evolving needs of current students and teachers alike.
This decision was made in light of results that came from the College Board’s fall pilot program which received positive feedback due to the new exam’s low-stress, time-efficient quality. The exam is now only two hours long and includes reading passages that are more brief, allowing students to have more time per question. Additionally, calculators are a provision for the entirety of the math section. The student response to this pilot revealed that these changes improved concentration and lessened time-related anxiety.
Furthermore, the College Board is attempting to address the inequities in accessibility through this new test format. For example, they are trying to level the playing field for students with financial need by providing them with the technology necessary to take the test.
Some critics argue these efforts by the College Board are not sufficient to remedy the test’s underlying bias against low-income students and students of color. These new policies have yet to address the advantage that high-income households have through expanded test prep options like tutoring and being able to take the test multiple times. Its lack of accommodation for students with disabilities has yet to be clearly addressed .
Whether these changes to the SAT create a more equitable process, and whether the test should continue to have the importance that it has historically held, depends on how colleges factor these tests into their admissions processes. Students will likely continue to take the test out of the fear that colleges may not faithfully adhere to their test-optional policies.
However, one upside of this shift in testing policy is that it shows the College Board’s flexibility and its willingness to adapt to new circumstances. For countless students, test scores will continue to be a way to show academic strength. It would be beneficial to all students for the College Board to use its position of monumental importance in the college application process to bridge the gap of inequity instead of slowly losing its relevance. Redefining the perception of these tests in a changing academic world could help these tests to regain significance as a valuable ‘optional’ opportunity for students to demonstrate their capabilities.
MoneyWatch
December 17, 2021 / 9:59 AM / MoneyWatch
COVID-19 surges ahead of holidays
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge ahead of holidays 09:26Harvard on Thursday said it won't require applicants submit SAT or ACT scores through 2026, as the Ivy League institution joins other colleges that are either temporarily or permanently becoming "test optional" for would-be students.
That means that students seeking entry into the classes of 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 won't need to send Harvard an SAT or ACT score as part of their application.
"Students who do not submit standardized test scores will not be disadvantaged in their application process," said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, in a statement.
He added, "Their applications will be considered on the basis of what they have presented, and they are encouraged to send whatever materials they believe would convey their accomplishments in secondary school and their promise for the future."
The move comes amid a debate about the fairness of the tests, given that Black and Latino students on average score lower than White students, an issue that experts say reflects generational gaps in education, income and other standards of well-being. But experts also note that SAT or ACT scores don't actually predict how a student will perform in college — instead, grades are much more predictive of college success.
At the same time, some students have struggled to take standardized tests during the pandemic, and Harvard cited the ongoing health crisis as one reason it is moving to a test-optional policy through 2026. Many colleges switched to a test-optional policy last year, when many SAT testing dates were canceled during the onset of the pandemic.
Other colleges and universities are also moving to test-optional policies temporarily or permanently. Among them are fellow Ivy League institutions Columbia University and Cornell University, which have both gone test optional for applicants entering in the fall of 2024.
Interestingly, the switch to a test-optional policy boosted the numbers of applications to many of the nation's most prestigious schools. Without feeling that they needed a top SAT or ACT score to apply, more students threw their applications into the pool — and as a result of the surge in applications, Ivy League schools like Harvard had record-low acceptance rates last year.
Last year, Harvard accepted 3.4% of applicants compared with 4.9% the previous year, while Columbia's rate dropped to 3.7%, from 6.1% — a record low for both institutions. Other Ivies also reported reduced admission compared with a year ago, when COVID-19 first shuttered the U.S. economy.
On Thursday, Harvard said that it accepted 740 students via early action out of a poll of 9,406 applicants, or an acceptance rate of 7.8%. Early action decisions typically have a higher acceptance rate than the regular admissions round.
Harvard will send acceptances for its regular-decision applicants in late March.
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