20 min
Dr. Richard Phelps: No More College Admission Test? Critically Speaking
-
- Science
Over the last few years, a number of colleges and universities have dropped the requirement for all or part of the SAT or ACT exam as part of their admissions requirements. This movement appears to be increasing. It's logical to wonder about the large-scale implications of eliminating the requirement of these tests, the benefits, and the downsides. In today’s episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Richard Phelps, discuss this trend of eliminating standardized tests, the origins of this movement, and the potential consequences we may see as a result of these changing requirements.
Key Takeaways:
No college restricts admission decisions to admission test scores alone. They also consider grade point average, your class rank, the historical performance of students from each high school, and the quality and rigor of courses taken. Typically, these factors are given higher priority and admission decisions than test scores. Making test scores optional raises a college's ranking. Once rival colleges eliminate the requirement, a college has little choice but to join them. The less test scores are used in making admission decisions, the more predictive those test scores become, and the less predictive high school grades become because the variance in the ability of the entering students grows and the variance in high school grades narrows.
"College administrators may be reticent to admit they adopted a test-optional policy in order to raise their rankings and increase ethnic diversity, and, coincidentally, lowered their academic standards.." — Dr. Richard Phelps
Connect with Dr. Richard Phelps:
Twitter: @RichardPPhelps
Website: RichardPhelps.net & NonpartisanEducation.org
Research Gate: Richard P Phelps
SSRN Scholarly Papers: Richard P. Phelps
Academia: Richard P Phelps
LinkedIn: Richard P Phelps
LinkedIn Learning: Richard P Phelps
Connect with Therese:
Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net
Twitter: @CritiSpeak
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
Over the last few years, a number of colleges and universities have dropped the requirement for all or part of the SAT or ACT exam as part of their admissions requirements. This movement appears to be increasing. It's logical to wonder about the large-scale implications of eliminating the requirement of these tests, the benefits, and the downsides. In today’s episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Richard Phelps, discuss this trend of eliminating standardized tests, the origins of this movement, and the potential consequences we may see as a result of these changing requirements.
Key Takeaways:
No college restricts admission decisions to admission test scores alone. They also consider grade point average, your class rank, the historical performance of students from each high school, and the quality and rigor of courses taken. Typically, these factors are given higher priority and admission decisions than test scores. Making test scores optional raises a college's ranking. Once rival colleges eliminate the requirement, a college has little choice but to join them. The less test scores are used in making admission decisions, the more predictive those test scores become, and the less predictive high school grades become because the variance in the ability of the entering students grows and the variance in high school grades narrows.
"College administrators may be reticent to admit they adopted a test-optional policy in order to raise their rankings and increase ethnic diversity, and, coincidentally, lowered their academic standards.." — Dr. Richard Phelps
Connect with Dr. Richard Phelps:
Twitter: @RichardPPhelps
Website: RichardPhelps.net & NonpartisanEducation.org
Research Gate: Richard P Phelps
SSRN Scholarly Papers: Richard P. Phelps
Academia: Richard P Phelps
LinkedIn: Richard P Phelps
LinkedIn Learning: Richard P Phelps
Connect with Therese:
Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net
Twitter: @CritiSpeak
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
20 min