In a milestone 20-year study of its well-known policy for optional SATs for admission, Bates College has found no differences in academic performance or graduation rates between submitters and non-submitters.<\/p>\n
The findings of the study will be presented Oct. 1 in Milwaukee at the 60th national conference of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.<\/p>\n
The Bates faculty voted to make SATs optional for admission to Bates in October 1984, and after five years of evaluation voted to make all testing optional in November 1990. From the outset, Bates shared its research results, and at this 20th anniversary, has conducted a comprehensive performance and outcomes analysis of about 7,000 submitters and non-submitters since 1984.<\/p>\n
Bates Vice President William C. Hiss, who led the Bates admissions office as dean or vice president from 1978 to 2000, said the findings “raise a national policy issue: Does standardized testing narrow access to higher education, significantly reducing the pool of students who would succeed if admitted?”<\/p>\n
Hiss noted that standardized tests can be one of several barriers to higher education. Increased college costs, cuts to K-12 budgets that affect guidance, higher education cuts in either financial aid or course offerings, and standardized testing may all contribute to reduced access for low-income students.<\/p>\n
Among the findings of this 20-year study:<\/p>\n
The National Association for College Admission Counseling\u2019s (NACAC) national conference is the largest annual gathering of college admission professionals. The conference attracts more than 4,000 attendees annually, including secondary school counselors, college admission officers, independent counselors, financial aid administrators, enrollment managers and affiliate organization members.<\/p>\n
Graphics supporting the findings of the study are available at: http:\/\/home.bates.edu\/views\/2004\/10\/10\/powerpoint-analysis\/<\/a><\/p>\n William C. Hiss’ prepared remarks are available at: http:\/\/home.bates.edu\/views\/2004\/10\/01\/sats-at-bates\/<\/a><\/p>\n NPR, “All Things Considered”, January 4, 2005: http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/rundowns\/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=4-Jan-2005<\/a><\/p>\nOutside press responses to William C. Hiss’ study:<\/h3>\n
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\n\n\n\nApplying to Bates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n