Data showing the impact of test optional policies is often found in public college’s Board of Trustees or Faculty senate meeting documents. These reports are often illuminating about college policies and the impact of testing.
Recently the Universities of Tennessee, Iowa, Missouri, and Florida, Purdue all posted data that provide interesting insight.
At the University of Tennessee, the report stated that the “ACT only adds predictive value in the top few HSGPA deciles, which is unhelpful in admissions decisions.”
The report from the University of Iowa, showed that of 39% of students with an ACT score between 15 – 17 (the full score range is 1 – 36) students and a HSGPA of 3.0 graduated at a higher rate than students with a comparable HSGPA and an ACT score of 33+.
Further, the report concluded the “likelihood of graduating in four years was fairly consistent based on GPA, irrespective of the ACT score level.”
At the University of Missouri, the report stated that “test-optional students have lower GPAs but similar retention rates to their traditionally admitted peers . . .” The difference in GPA however was approximately two-tenths of a point.
Consistently, college data shows the value of standardized tests to be minimal at best.