‘Test Optional’ Colleges Consider Alternatives to SAT
SAT results came out this week. Georgia’s average scores fell slightly. But some colleges don’t require the test anymore. They’re part of a growing number of schools that have gone “test-optional”. Broadcast version.
An SAT or ACT score won’t always predict how a student will perform in college. That is why Agnes Scott College in Decatur decided to let students choose whether to submit their scores.
“We wanted to be able to reach more students who were under-represented and first-generation students, and typically those students don’t test as well on standardized test,” says Vice President of Enrollment and Dean of Financial Aid Laura Martin.
Applicants who don’t submit a test score have to take another step. They can turn in a graded writing sample or participate in an interview. Colleges usually look more closely at those students’ high school transcripts.
“Moving those test scores out of the way and focusing on the things that may, in fact, be more predictive of a good outcome is a sensible thing to do, and especially so for institutions that are concerned about the diversity of their students,” says Aaron Pallas, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University.
Agnes Scott plans to evaluate its test-optional status yearly. For now, the school says it’s working.
It’s one of a handful of Georgia colleges that give applicants the option of submitting standardized test scores.
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