Major New Study Shows Test-Optional Policies Increase Diversity, Preserve Academic Quality

for further information:                                                                 

Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773

            mobile (239) 699-0468

for release with “Defining Access” report – 8am EDT, Thurs. April 26, 2018

TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS LEADER APPLAUDS NEW STUDY:

“DEFINING ACCESS” SHOWS ELIMINATING ACT/SAT SCORE REQUIREMENTS

PROMOTES EQUITY AND ACADEMIC QUALITY

     A major study released today provides strong evidencethat ACT/SAT-optional schools increase campus diversity without harming classroom performance. Defining Access: How Test-Optional Works analyzes records from nearly one million students at 28 undergraduate institutions.

    “The data show that test-optional policies promote both academic quality and equity,” said Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest). “This report should encourage even more colleges and universities to drop their ACT/SAT requirements.”

     FairTest has led the movement to de-emphasize admissions test scores for three decades. The group’s website currently lists more than 1,000 test-optional four-year colleges and universities (http://fairtest.org/university/optional). The database includes more than 300 institutions ranked in the top tiers of their respective categories. There are now test-optional schools in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and most U.S. possessions

     Among the key findings of today’s report, according to FairTest:

-   Test-optional policies perform well at a wide range of undergraduate institutions..

-   Larger percentages of African American, Latino, first-generation, Pell recipient, and female students choose not to submit scores than whites and male applicants.

-   Eliminating ACT/SAT requirements Increases the enrollment of historically underrepresented groups in almost all cases.

-   Applicants admitted without consideration of test scores graduated at equal or higher rates than those who submitted ACT/SAT results.

     The new study is available online at https://www.nacacnet.org/HowTest-OptionalWorks

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-  A timeline of schools de-emphasizing ACT/SAT scores over the fifteen years and the list of 300+ top-tier, test-optional institutions are available on request.