A Testing Future for Admissions

Today, about 80% of four-year colleges don’t require standardized tests. That’s good news for the future of education access, according to associate dean at BU’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Mary Churchill.

In recent years, standardized tests were found to be poor predictors of a student’s aptitude. More importantly, they have proven to be a serious barrier to equitable access to education. This led the majority of colleges and universities to stop using standardized test scores during the COVID-19 pandemic, already a trend that many experts predict will continue.

“We must have the will and tenacity to do the work to close our society’s opportunity and equity gaps.”

—MARY CHURCHILL

Churchill’s research echoes advocates who have argued against using standardized tests for admission. Studies show that a student’s high school GPA is a better predictor of college success. These studies also show that other factors related to student experiences are better determinants of college success, indicating that the SAT or ACT may simply be too narrow in predicting academic achievement.

What’s more troubling is that standardized tests—with origins in the eugenics movement—can be a tool of discrimination to privilege the already-privileged. Despite this bias, some elite institutions have begun to reinstate the requirement, purportedly to help identify otherwise overlooked students—a choice Churchill considers to be a mistake.

Because, ultimately, eliminating the barrier of required standardized tests is only the first step in creating a more equitable admissions process. Many admissions directors already view test scores as one optional component in a portfolio of activities, awards, and other material. Churchill hopes this continues. If education is to be accessible for all, then “we must have the will and tenacity to do the work to close our society’s opportunity and equity gaps.”