Park 1

Sydney Park
October 21st, 2015
Writing 2010-062
Jennifer Courtney
What is the appropriate usage of Standardized Testing in Admissions?
Standardized tests have become a crucial aspect in determining admissions into
universities across the country. Over the years, two college predictor tests, the ACT (American
College Testing) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), have been under a lot of scrutiny as to
whether or not they accurately predict college preparedness for prospective students. This has
also raised the concern about how much of an impact the ACT and SAT should have in the
admissions process.
I have organized different ideas and authors about this overall main topic into three main
camps with various subcategories beneath them. The three main camps are standardized testing
and its changing role throughout history, accuracy of predictors in admissions, and standardized
testing and its changing role throughout history. The first section will cover the differing function
test like the ACT and SAT have held throughout history. The second section will talk about the
many different factors admissions committees use to compare and contrast students, and whether
or not some are as accurate as others. The final section will discuss the various challenges when
using standardized testing to compare students, as well as the perks that can come from this type
of comparison.
Since reviewing many materials on the impact of the ACT/SAT in admissions, I will
show that the belief that standardized testing should be strongly considered in admissions differs
from the belief that the ACT/SAT should not be weighed in admissions, and that ultimately what

Park 2
is at stake in the conversation is how much of an impact they should have in the college
admissions process.
Accuracy of Predictors in Admissions:
In the college admissions process there are various predictors that help the admissions
officers determine whether or not the applicants will be successful at the university. They look at
predictor tests like the ACT and SAT, high school GPA, class rank, and many other factors. This
is discussed by authors like Wiley& Wyatt & Camara, Radunzel & Noble, ACT inc., Anderson,
Sawyer, Espenshade & Chang, Geiser & Santelices, Hiss & Franks, Marsh & Vandehey &
Diekoff, and Scott-Clayton.
Since there are so many different authors on this topic, there are a lot of varying
perspectives. Something that the vast majority of authors agree on is that high school GPA is a
good comparison among students. Although to many it is not the best, it is still a standard
comparison made in the admissions process. One thing about half of the authors agree on is the
use of standardized testing in admissions. They believe that the standardized tests are the best
way to compare students against each other. The other half agrees that there should be no
standardized testing in admissions decisions. All of the authors agree that there needs to be a
better method of weighing students against each other to make the hard admissions decisions.
The only difference between the authors is that they have different ideas of how this can be
achieved.
Although many of these authors have similar ideas about standardized testing, some have
very conflicting ideas. A lot of the conflict comes from the idea of what best helps to predict
college preparedness. Authors like Aleamoni & Oboler, and Geiser & Santelices believe that a
students high school GPA is the best predictor in performance in college. Sawyer partly believes

Park 3
that high school GPA is the best predictor. His research suggests that in low selectivity colleges,
high school GPA will help differentiate the prepared students. On the other hand, in high
selectivity colleges, the ACT/SAT is more reliable. Some authors like Jacobsen, Zwick, and
Espenshade & Chang agree that the ACT/SAT is the best way to determine whether or not a
student is prepared for college. Then you have authors that think there shouldnt be any sole
predictor in admissions. These authors are Brownstein, Camara, Hiss & Franks, Hoover &
Supiano, Maruyama, Rooney & Schaeffer, Scott-Clayton, Wainer, and Wiley& Wyatt & Camara.
Many of these authors are supporters of test optional schools. They feel it gives the students an
equal opportunity at being accepted.
One of the biggest things at stake in the conversation is finding an accurate way to
analyze students and determine if they will be successful at a certain university. All of authors on
this topic would like this to be accomplished but they have different ways of doing just that.
Another thing that is at stake in the conversation is having one uniform test rather than two. This
makes comparison an easier process. The final thing at stake at in this conversation is doing more
research to find the top way to determine how prepared students are for college.
Standardized Testing and Its Changing Role Throughout History
The ACT was formed to be an alternative to the SAT. Since patterns in college attendance
were changing over the years, a desire grew for a test that could more accurately predict a
students ability to preform well in college. Today, the ACT tests a student's ability to apply
knowledge and concepts in math, science and English without having to memorize vocabulary
lists or detailed information.(Grabianowski). This has brought into question whether or not the
tests should be weighed as heavily in admissions as they currently do.

Park 4
Authors like Fletcher, Haney, Grabianowski, Blackey, and Jacobsen talk about the history
of standardized testing and its purpose. There isnt really any argument on the history between
authors. This is because most of this history is a fact. Also many of the authors dont take a side
on the use of standardized testing, they simply present all of the facts. The authors Blackey,
Grabianowski, and Jacobsen talk about the history of the ACT/SAT and standardized testing as a
whole. They talk about the growth of its importance throughout history, and how it has now
become a widely used entrance exam for universities.
One thing that is at stake in this conversation is making sure that all of the facts are
accurate and consistent. Something else that is also at stake in the conversation is covering the
many ways the test is used in interpreted throughout various institutions. This helps to show the
varying admissions processes at different schools. It can also give a glimpse into the
interpretation by students as to what is considered a good score.
Limitations in Diversity
The lack of diversity in universities is a growing problem. There are many suggestions of
what some think is causing this limited amount of diversity in schools. Some authors propose
that this is because standardized testing limits the amount of diverse students accepted. This
brings the overall question; does using standardized testing in admissions decisions limit the
amount of diversity in universities?
Many may assert that the use of standardized testing in university admissions has nothing
to do with the diversity in schools. However all of the authors that discussed this topic agree that
these tests are quickly taking away any diversity schools have left. These authors are Soares,
Young & Korbin, Shanley, Hyman, and Haney. They all agree that by using standardized testing
in the admissions process, you take away opportunity from minority students who may have not

Park 5
had the same opportunities are other students who placed higher on the exams. One of the
possible reasons that these students are placed higher is because of their ability to pay for the
extra help on preparing for the exams. Hyman says, I first exploit the implementation of the
reform to show that for every ten poor students taking the ACT or SAT pre-policy and scoring at
a college- ready level, there are five additional poor students taking neither exam who would
score at a college-ready level. (Hyman 1) This is something that many minority students are
unable to afford.
Although these authors agree on many things there are also some disagreements on
various subtopics. One of the disputes occurs between Hyman, and Young & Korbin. Hyman
believes that the students that are the most negatively effected are students from various ethnic
backgrounds. On the other hand, Young & Korbin believe that the biggest problem is between
genders. Another disagreement between authors is between Haney and Shanley. Their
disagreement comes from different beliefs on the negative outcome in using standardized testing.
Haney believes that through using standardized testing in admissions it can negatively influence
the students life. This is because students who are scoring very highly on these tests spend vast
amounts of time to perfect their scores. Meanwhile Shanley believes that the most negative thing
that can happen is depriving minority students of an education experience. Many minorities are
unable to have the same experiences that universities look for in students. This is limiting their
access to education due to a lack in opportunity while growing up.
One of the biggest things that is at stake in this conversation is finding a way to compare
students so that all different genders and ethnicities have the same opportunity to attend a
university. This could mean a variety of different things from abolishing the use of standardized
test and creating a new test to creating an entirely new admissions review system. Another thing

Park 6
that is at stake in this conversation is determining a way to maintain diversity in universities
while keeping the admissions process fair to all applicants. Admissions committees need to find
a way to get competitive diverse applicants interested in their universities while also maintain a
steady amount of applicants overall.
Conclusion
Tests like the ACT and SAT began as a way to uniformly compare and contrast students.
Now days these tests are used to help decide the admission into certain institutions. By doing
more research and looking at the various interpretations of the scores at different universities, we
will be better able to understand why certain admissions decisions are made and how the scores
influenced them. Research can also be done to find how other countries have used and currently
use standardized tests in admissions into universities. This will help to discover tactics that are
successful for certain countries and others that maybe dont work as well.
Standardized testing has been around for a long time as a way to compare students
against each other in the admissions process. Whether or not these tests are accurate is up for
debate. Some suggest that the tests are the absolute best way to compare students against each
other. Meanwhile others believe that indicators like high school GPA and class rank can better
decipher students who will succeed versus students who will not. This really brings up the
question of how much of an impact should predictor tests like the ACT and SAT have in the
admissions decisions for students. To answer this question, more research needs to be done in
order to find just how effective these various methods are at finding students who will be
successful in college.
Diversity in colleges is becoming more and more important yet less and less common.
Some blame this on the use of tests like the ACT/SAT in admissions claiming it is not fair to the

Park 7
difference in opportunity between students. More research needs to be conducted to determine
ways to factor in the difference in circumstance between students. The main goal is to create an
admissions system that is fair to everyone yet still provides quality students that will be
successful in college.

Park 8
Bibliography
1. Aleamoni, Lawrence M., and Linda Oboler. "ACT versus SAT in predicting first semester
GPA." Educational and Psychological Measurement 38.2 (1978): 393-399.
3. Brownstein, Andrew. "Colleges Debate Whether Dropping the SAT Makes Them More
Competitive." The Chronicle of Higher Education (2001): A14. Print.
5. Espenshade, Thomas J., and C. Y. Chang. "Standardized admission tests, college performance,
and campus diversity." Unpublished paper. An earlier version of this paper was presented
at the Conference on Rethinking College Admissions, Wake Forest University. 2009.
6. Geiser, Saul and Maria Veronica Santelices. "Validity of High-School Grades in Predicting
Student Success beyond the Freshman Year: High-School Record vs. Standardized Tests
as Indicators of Four-Year College Outcomes. Center for Studies in Higher
Education Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE. 6.07. (2007). Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
7. Grabianowski, Ed. "A Brief History of the ACT." HowStuffWorks.com. InfoSpace LLC, n.d.
Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
8. Haney, Walt. "Validity, Vaudeville, and Values: A Short History of Social Concerns over
Standardized Testing." American Psychologist 36.10 (1981): 1021-034.
9. Hyman, Joshua. ACT for All: The effect of mandatory college entrance exams on
postsecondary attainment and choice. Working paper, University of Michigan, 2013.
10. Jacobsen, Erik. "A (Mostly) Brief History of the SAT and ACT Tests." Erikthered.com, 2014.
Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
11. Maruyama, Geoffrey. "Assessing College Readiness Should We Be Satisfied With ACT or
Other Threshold Scores?." Educational Researcher 41.7 (2012): 252-261.

Park 9
13. Sawyer, Richard. "Beyond correlations: Usefulness of high school GPA and test scores in
making college admissions decisions." Applied measurement in education 26.2 (2013):
89-112.
14. Shanley, Brian J. "Test-Optional Admission at a Liberal Arts College: A Founding Mission
Affirmed." Harvard Educational Review 77.4 (2007): 429-35.
15. Streetman, Chris. "Abolishing the ACT and SAT." Mckendree.edu McKendree University
(2012). Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
16.Wiley, Andrew, Jeffrey Wyatt, and Wayne J. Camara. "The development of a
multidimensional college readiness index." College Board (2010-3): 1-25. 7 Oct. 2015.
17. Young, John W. and Jennifer L. Kobrin. "Differential validity, differential prediction, and
college admission testing: A comprehensive review and analysis." College Board (20016): 1-41. 7 Oct. 2015.
18. Zwick, Rebecca. Rethinking the SAT: The Future of Standardized Testing in University
Admissions. London: Taylor & Francis, 2004. Print.