The College System of Maryland’s board of regents voted not too long ago to pave the way in which for its 12 universities to take away the requirement for potential college students to supply their SAT or ACT scores for admission.
Maryland
Maryland university system won’t require SAT, ACT for admissions
In response to Joann Boughman, senior vice chancellor for educational and pupil affairs for the college system, the change comes after heavy consideration and mirrors nationwide developments. All the colleges throughout the system had already shifted to a test-optional mannequin, many through the coronavirus pandemic, when testing was much less accessible.
“It was not our alternative essentially to go test-optional, however for the final two years, we now have handled accepting many, many college students throughout our system who didn’t have SAT or ACT scores,” Boughman mentioned.
She added that different components comparable to an applicant’s grade-point common are fairly good, if not higher, at predicting success in faculty.
System spokesman Mike Lurie mentioned the measure handed 11 to 2 with two absences; Andy Smarick and Louis Pope voted towards it.
Through the assembly, College of Maryland Faculty Park President Darryll J. Pines mentioned standardized testing has a protracted historical past of being disproportionate in accessibility to minority communities.
“Individuals of coloration are likely to have biases towards them by these exams they usually don’t get into colleges,” Pines mentioned Friday.
A number of colleges within the Baltimore space, together with the College of Maryland Baltimore County, Towson College, College of Baltimore and U-Md. have been test-optional for a number of years.
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the longtime president of UMBC, mentioned Friday that he additionally helps the test-optional mannequin, however confused the significance of standardized testing general.
“Significantly for college kids of coloration, we now have to search out methods … of serving to them to have the abilities they should succeed on standardized exams, although, as a result of when you consider medical college or legislation college or the CPA or the nursing examination or the trainer’s examination, all of those are standardized exams,” Hrabowski mentioned through the assembly.
UMBC went test-optional through the onset of the pandemic. The primary class that had the choice have been freshmen beginning throughout fall 2021, mentioned Yvette Mozie-Ross, the college’s vice provost for enrollment administration and planning.
“UMBC has fully embraced this,” she mentioned, “and I’m actually enthusiastic about what it means for us by way of serving the scholars in Maryland and past.”
The College of Baltimore shifted to a test-optional mannequin in 2019, so the brand new vote gained’t have an effect on it a lot, mentioned spokesman Chris Hart. “The system is simply catching up,” he mentioned.
Coppin State College mentioned in an emailed assertion that standardized testing accounts just for a small portion of a pupil’s general admissions package deal.
“We perceive that traditionally, standardized take a look at scores have been a barrier for a lot of college students, and such exams present no important impression on a pupil’s general success in faculty,” the assertion reads. “The analysis is obvious: the rigor of a pupil’s coursework, their GPA, and extracurricular engagements most precisely mirror a pupil’s faculty readiness and skill to succeed.”
Salisbury College has been test-optional since 2006. Through the board of regent’s assembly, college president Charles Wight informed regents that earlier than the pandemic, 30 % of the college’s candidates didn’t submit their take a look at scores. That quantity elevated to 80 % through the pandemic.
Regent Smarick mentioned the coverage change might negatively impression the admissions course of.
“One of many advantages of a take a look at like [the] SAT [and the] ACT is that it may assist determine false negatives, college students who the opposite metrics say in all probability aren’t prepared,” Smarick mentioned. “However these college students — as a result of a number of different issues have been aligned towards them — didn’t have that nice of a GPA, didn’t have an opportunity to do an entire lot of different issues. However due to this take a look at, we see that this pupil is off the charts in studying, off the charts in math.”
In response to the USM choice, Priscilla Rodriguez, senior vice chairman of faculty readiness assessments for the Faculty Board — the corporate that gives the SAT — mentioned in an emailed assertion that they welcome the shift.
“We’re happy that college students will proceed to have the choice of placing their greatest foot ahead and submitting scores.” Rodriguez mentioned within the e mail.
Nicholas Lemann, a professor at Columbia College and writer of “The Massive Check,” mentioned the USM choice matches nationwide developments.
Elsewhere throughout the nation, the College of California and California State College techniques are amongst schools which have dropped SAT and ACT necessities for undergraduate admissions. Harvard College has mentioned it gained’t require the scores by 2026.
In the meantime, the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how mentioned this spring that it will reinstate its take a look at requirement after suspending it through the pandemic.
Lemann mentioned the removing of standardized testing wouldn’t have a huge impact on faculty admissions. He additionally believes that there are systematic disadvantages throughout the standardized testing system.
“There’s an actual battle between admissions exams and variety,” he mentioned. “There are racial and ethnic and, to some extent, gender gaps on exams. This has been a constant discovering for the reason that very starting of testing 100 years in the past. And so whenever you’re an establishment that makes use of these exams and that has range as a objective, these usually are not fully in line with one another.”
April Bethea of The Washington Submit contributed to this report.