No, SUNY is Not Test Blind
The State University of New York Board of Trustees recently affirmed the SUNY admissions policy regarding optional submission of SAT and ACT scores, which has triggered a spate of inflammatory articles suggesting that SUNY has adopted the same testing policy as the University of California system. That is absolutely false. Test optional is definitely not the same as test blind or test free. For the sake of clarity, here is SUNY’s testing policy with relevant parts bolded: SUNY has temporarily [now permanently] suspended SAT/ACT testing requirements for students applying for admission to a SUNY bachelor’s degree-granting college. You may now decide whether or not to include your scores for admission consideration at each college to which you apply. If you believe your scores are an accurate representation of your ability, SUNY colleges can consider them along with all other materials in your application file. If you think your scores do…
College Admissions Testing for the HS Classes of 2024 and 2025
What are the SAT and ACT, why do they matter, and what can and should teens and their families do about them during this dynamic moment in college admissions history? The admissions landscape has shifted dramatically over the last five years, so make sure you stay on top of the newest developments: — Why do the SAT & ACT still matter in the test optional era? — Does it make sense to take the SAT or ACT if a student has a strong GPA? — What does test optional really mean? — When is the best time to take the SAT or ACT? — What is the best preparation for the SAT, ACT, or PSAT? — When will the SAT be moving to a digital adaptive test?
When PSAT Scores Come Back
The beginning of December can be a very busy time for anyone connected with test prep or college planning. Why? That’s when students start to get their PSAT scores back and, consequently, when parents get to see their child’s PSAT scores. For many families, this marks the official beginning of a year or more of test-related angst and pressure. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re a parent who hasn’t yet learned what these scores mean and what your next steps should be, consider these tips to get you through the initial discovery of your child’s PSAT score: Other than for National Merit and related scholarship consideration, your child’s PSAT score means nothing! In fact, a 10th grader’s PSAT score is not even used for National Merit Scholarship competition. While the PSAT does offer a useful baseline to predict future SAT performance, it is, for all intents and purposes,…
What Falling Test Scores Mean
The American public has been anxiously unpacking the implications of the announcement by ACT that that average ACT scores for the high school class of 2022 declined to lowest level in more than 30 years. I recently shared deeper analysis and context for the announcement on this site, but those who enjoyed video to text will enjoy the brief segment on the topic I contributed to on WROC News 8. What conclusions do you draw from declining test scores?
National ACT Scores Decline to Lowest Level in More Than 30 Years
ACT, Inc., the eponymous organization that administers the ACT exam just shared some bleak but terribly unsurprising findings: The national average ACT Composite score for the high school class of 2022 was 19.8, the lowest average score in more than three decades, according to data released today by ACT, the nonprofit organization that administers the college readiness exam. It is the first time since 1991 that the average ACT Composite score was below 20.0. Why doesn’t this admittedly disturbing information come as a shock? Obviously, the learning gap during the global pandemic will continue to manifest for years to come in the form of lower academic achievement. But college readiness has been declining for much longer, as our unacceptable 62.2% national six-year college completion rate shows. Janet Godwin, CEO of ACT, agrees: “This is the fifth consecutive year of declines in average scores, a worrisome trend that began long before…
What is the Submitter Advantage?
While nothing in the 21st century college application process approaches conventional levels of transparency, the rise of test optional admissions has added a whole new level of ambiguity and opacity to an already stressful process. Nothing has changed, of course, when applying to colleges that are open-admit or select the majority of applicants. The real drama occurs at the selective and highly selective schools. Not only is a smaller percentage of applicants than ever selected at some of these schools–lower than 4% at certain institutions–but the blurring of qualifications has added entirely new levels of confusion, even for experts. Colleges universally adopted test optional admissions policies during the pandemic, in part because a handful of national SAT and ACT test dates and a flood of local test center administrations were cancelled. Test optional admissions also served to lower anxiety during a time when both applicants and the schools themselves were…