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September 13, 2002
Mellon
Foundation Funds Study of College's Sat-Optional Experiment
Concerned over the
exaggerated role of the SAT in the college admissions process
and the test's limitations as a predictor of student success,
Mount Holyoke in 2001 began a five-year experiment of making the
SAT optional for admission, joining a small group of selective
liberal arts colleges to do so. Now the College has launched a
three-year study to determine the effects of that policy, through
a $290,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
"We believe that
the SAT has become a negative force in higher education, given
the unwarranted centrality that the test has assumed in college
admissions nationwide," said Jane Brown, vice president for
enrollment and College relations. "Mount Holyoke encourages
high school students to focus instead on activities that promote
long-term intellectual and personal growth rather than on time-consuming
and, often expensive, strategies to raise their SAT scores."
The new admission
policy emphasizes the College's traditional holistic approach
to the applicant selection process that includes, among many components,
a comprehensive review of a student's high school record, rigorous
writing requirements including several essays, and submission
of a graded paper from a high school course. Admissions officers
also probe for less tangible qualities such as intellectual curiosity,
motivation, leadership, creativity, and a social conscience.
The College's intent
was to cast a wider net for applicants with strong academic potential
and exceptional talents who may have been previously discouraged
from applying because of their performance on the SAT. Preliminary
data from the class of 2005, the first class admitted under the
new policy, show that the College succeeded in casting a wider
net for students who, despite being disadvantaged by the SAT,
have the intellectual and motivational qualities that Mount Holyoke
requires. While nearly one in four applicants for the class of
2005 and one in three for the class of 2006 chose not to submit
SAT scores, the new classes are as academically strong as in previous
years, but decidedly more diverse.
The College has developed
a three-year plan for studying the impact of its SAT-optional
policy. What effect has the policy had on the College's applicant
pool? Why do students choose to submit, or not to submit, their
SAT scores? As a group, how do nonsubmitters compare to submitters
in academic performance and activities outside the classroom?
These are among the questions to be answered.
Results will be made
available to the Mellon Foundation and to a wider audience of
educators nationwide, who have been closely watching the College's
experiment. "We hope our experience will encourage other
institutions to take a critical look at standardized testing in
their admissions processes. We will be pleased to share our research
with them," said President Joanne V. Creighton.
Mellon Research
Project Components*
Admission Data
The College will analyze aggregate admission data from SAT submitters
and nonsubmitters in order to answer the questions: Has the change
in policy resulted in changes to the profile of Mount Holyoke's
applicant pool, admitted students, and matriculants? What factors
influence an applicant to submit or not submit a score? Can we
draw any meaningful conclusions about nonsubmitters as a group
that predict whether their performance will be quantifiably different
from that of submitters over four years?
Survey of Inquirers,
Applicants, and Matriculants
The College hopes to learn the effect of the SAT-optional policy
on those who consider Mount Holyoke but in the end do not apply
or do not matriculate. A better understanding of the motivation
and strategies of those who express interest in the College might
shed more light on the differences in submission rates that vary
by income and ethnicity.
Academic Performance
The College will track the aggregate academic performance and
extracurricular activities of submitters and nonsubmitters. Academic
performance will be measured by a range of quantifiable criteria
such as grade-point average and progress toward graduation, while
qualitative data will be collected on other measures of success
such as leadership roles and civic engagement.
Persistence Study
Researchers will follow submitters and nonsubmitters in an effort
to better determine reasons for success and attrition between
the two groups. In-depth interviews will be completed with a sample
of student volunteers during their first three years at the College.
The data will be analyzed to determine attrition and persistence
patterns and measure the level of engagement of both groups.
Assessments of
Admission Committee Ratings
Without SAT scores, do admission officers have enough information
to make informed decisions? Will an applicant's decision
to withhold SAT scores bias a reader against her application?
A sampling of applications from submitters and nonsubmitters will
be read twice, once with scores provided and once without. The
results will be compared to determine if there is a significant
difference in ratings.
Guidance Counselor
Focus Groups
Guidance counselors are important opinion leaders for both students
and parents, and are keenly aware of the issues related to standardized
testing. During the next three years, the College will conduct
focus groups with guidance counselors around the country to assess
whether their opinions and attitudes about the SAT change over
time and whether regional differences exist. As the SAT debate
continues, guidance counselors will be queried about how their
advising practices respond to changing admission options.
*Most of this research
will be conducted using aggregate data; the individual survey
research will be conducted entirely with volunteers.
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