MU currently has a test-optional policy, allowing — but not requiring — prospective students to submit test scores to be taken into consideration during the admissions process. It is essential that MU abandon this test-optional policy and refuse to accept the submission of test scores. Recent data supports this, revealing that the high school class of 2022 had the lowest average ACT scores in more than 30 years. SAT scores also saw a slight drop between 2021 and 2022.
As scores in standardized testing decline, the need to remove test-optional policies increases. ACT and SAT testing generate greater economic inequality and serve as inadequate tools for evaluating the capabilities and intelligence of students, according to Oxford University Press.
While the ACT and the SAT are similar in their intended functions to demonstrate college readiness, they claim differences. In the class of 2020, nearly 2.2 million students took the SAT, compared to 1.7 million who took the ACT. Differences can also be observed in the distribution of points, subject matter and time per question. Data has also revealed that the ACT is better suited for high-risk students. At-risk students are those at a greater risk of dropping out of school due to a variety of factors, including socioeconomic and environmental influences. Data has revealed that the ACT appears to be more favorable to students considered high-risk, and as scores continue to decline, this demonstrates a concerning trend.
Data from 2021 reveals students with a family income of $100,000 or greater are more than twice as likely to have a combined SAT test score of 1400 to 1600 than students with a family income of under $50,000. Lower-income families do not have access to the same resources, time or money it requires to take the tests. Transportation, tutoring costs, time dedication and more are all factors in the opportunity gap between students of different financial status.
According to 2022 data released by ACT, only 22% of the students met all four College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT. There are benchmarks in English, mathematics, reading and science. Students’ scores have continued dropping since 2017.
While having a test-optional policy is more favorable than requiring applicants to submit test scores, MU should still discard the policy and decline to receive test scores. As a large school, it can begin a trend of moving away from test scores, which would not only benefit students but support economic justice and educational opportunities for individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds. The current testing system reinforces economic inequality by favoring higher test scores, which correlate with family income, thus prioritizing wealthy students during the college admissions process.
The College Board reported that the SAT does not measure innate ability or predict first-year college grades. The SAT is also a predictable test, which means it can be mastered through high-quality tutoring and time dedicated to studying. This makes it an inadequate factor in admissions for predicting the success and intelligence of a student and results in universities favoring students who could afford expensive tutoring and have time to devote to studying extensively for the test more than those who could not.
The current system places students with fewer financial opportunities at a disadvantage compared to their wealthier counterparts — even when test-optional policies are in place. Many schools use the scores as indicators of future success. However, failing to recognize how even considering scores limits diversity within the university unfairly values some applications over others and reinforces preexisting inequalities in the education system. It’s time for MU to take action by completely discarding the option to submit test scores as a factor of evaluation for admissions.
The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case involving affirmative action, asking whether race should be considered in college admissions. Affirmative action is designed to remedy prior discrimination by offering educational opportunities to members of minority groups. If the court rules that affirmative action can no longer be used during the admissions process, universities will place greater value on test scores as a consequence, intensifying the issues associated with it.
The California State University as well as the University of California have shed their testing policies — no longer considering ACT and SAT scores as a factor during the college application process. The UC committee members who voted to leave standardized testing out of the application process expressed concerns about racial and socioeconomic disparities caused by the exams. By eliminating its test-optional policy, MU can embrace a change that universities across the nation are beginning to participate in.
Edited by Ezra BittermanCopy Edited by Mary Philip and Julia Williams