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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 6 april 2019

Should the SAT be optional? Bribery scandal renews debate

roughly 1,000 other schools,
according to the nonprofit
group FairTest, which ar-
gues standardized tests
are biased against minor-
ity groups. The list includes
elite liberal arts colleges as
well as research universities
and for-profit schools. Those
caught up in the scheme
require scores.
Technology is letting institu-
tions that may have once
relied heavily on them to
consider other measures,
said Dan King, president of
the American Association
of University Administrators.
“Now a college can look
very quickly at the high
school. What do we know
about this high school,
about students who come
from here? What do we
know about students who
come with four units of
English and three units of
science and students who
took chemistry? We can
plug all of those into formuli,
which give us a lot of infor-
mation that we just didn’t
This combination photo shows actresses Felicity Huffman, left, and Lori Loughlin outside of federal court in Boston on Wednesday, have before,” he said.
April 3, 2019, where they face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. A study published last April
Associated Press of nearly 1 million appli-
By CAROLYN THOMPSON director for educational have proposed reforms to the dashboard helped Flor- cants found that when
Associated Press content and policy at the prevent a repeat, including ida State University admit given the choice to submit
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The National Association for a discussion of whether it’s about 400 more students scores, about a quarter of
most brazen abuses of stan- College Admission Coun- time to phase out the tests from disadvantaged back- applicants did not. Female,
dardized testing in the col- seling, said he expects at public colleges state- grounds — which are more underrepresented and
lege bribery scandal could more colleges will explore wide. likely to be students of color low-income applicants
be chalked up to security going test-optional. David Coleman, the chief — in 2018, said John Barn- chose not to submit scores
lapses: the ringer hired to “In the long term, the con- executive of the College hill, the university’s associ- at higher rates than male
take the SAT, the proc- versation — even without Board, which administers ate vice president for en- applicants. Black students
tors paid to look the other the bribery scandal of a the SAT, said he agrees rollment management. were about twice as likely
way, the accommodations couple of weeks ago — the that commercial prep But despite a growing num- to exclude scores as white
for extra time obtained conversation about access classes have corrupted the ber of schools moving away students. Philip Sheppard,
through false diagnoses of to higher education has test. But he said the solu- from standardized tests, 20, from Houston, knew his
disabilities. been simmering for a long tion is not to do away with most U.S. colleges still re- SAT scores weren’t great
But the scheme in which time, and is starting to take the tests, which he sees quire them just as much as when he applied for Hilbert
wealthy parents allegedly shape in a way that we re- as complementing a stu- a high school transcript and College just outside of Buf-
bribed their children’s way ally are examining every dent’s high school grades application fee. Last year, falo, New York. He includ-
into top schools also has aspect of the admission and as a check on grade about 2.1 million students ed them in his application
highlighted deeper con- process to understand fully inflation, which also tends took the SAT, and about 1.9 to the test-optional school
cerns about the fairness how it either promotes or in- to benefit wealthy students. million took the ACT. At the anyway, hoping the ad-
of using SAT and ACT tests hibits access,” he said. “We’ve got to admit the University of San Francisco, ditional effort would be re-
— focal points of a billion- The ringleader, admissions truth, that wealth inequal- which announced a shift in warded.
dollar consulting industry consultant Rick Singer, was ity has progressed to such its standardized test policy “I saw it was optional but I
and gatekeepers for a U.S. among 50 people charged a degree that it isn’t fair to last week, administrators submitted it just to solidify
admissions system already in the scheme that in- look at test scores alone,” said SAT and ACT scores a place in the class,” said
seen as favoring wealth volved bribes paid to test Coleman said, “That you are more reflective of a Sheppard, who said he
and privilege. administrators and college must look at them in con- student’s economic back- scored just under 1,000 out
Hundreds of colleges in re- coaches. Perfectly legal, text of the adversity stu- ground than their academ- of a possible 1,600. “My
cent years have made it however, are $1,000-an- dents face.” ic abilities. thought process was, my
optional for applicants to hour tutors and coaches To that end, College Board DePauw University, the scores weren’t the high-
submit test scores in an ef- hired to guide affluent stu- has begun piloting an “En- University of Minnesota est so I just used them as
fort to promote equity and dents through the admis- vironmental Context Dash- Crookston, University of something, ‘Hey, I went the
diversify applicant pools. sions maze, including rigor- board” to measure SAT Denver and Bucknell Uni- extra mile to take the SAT.
Lately, their ranks have ous test preparation. scores in relation to the stu- versity are among others Even though I didn’t do the
been growing by the week. In California, lawmakers dent’s neighborhood and to say recently they won’t best, still I gave it my best
David Hawkins, executive disgusted with the fraud school. In its pilot phase, ask for the results, joining shot.’”q