I never enjoyed taking standardized tests.
Still, I was surprised when, during the pandemic, dozens of colleges dropped the requirement that applicants take the SAT or ACT. Although administrators generally described the move as temporary, most colleges have since stuck to a test-optional policy.
But the loss of SAT and ACT scores has become a problem according to administrators. Without test scores, admissions officers sometimes struggle to distinguish between applicants who are likely to thrive at selective colleges and those likely to struggle. Why? Because high school grades do not always provide enough information, especially because of grade inflation in recent years.
As Brown University President Christina Paxson recently wrote, “Standardized test scores are a much better predictor of academic success than high school grades.”
I guess we’ll wait and see.
Renee Garrison is an award-winning author and past president of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association.
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