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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How many of the previous posters on this thread are NOT privileged?  Let me guess:  none. [/quote]

I heard multiple college admissions officers say that test optional was creating the most difficulty in their ability to determine which underprivileged kids would be likely to succeed once they arrived on campus. The discussions were considering whether they should bring back tests. These schools said they have enough information without tests to choose among applicants coming from privileged backgrounds or from high schools that they are familiar with. All of these kids will likely do just fine and they can choose among them based on other parts of the application.  They said the harder part was evaluating a kid from a small town school that doesn't typically have applicants to their college or underprivileged kids applying. For these kids, they want to have them on paper as part of their student community but really want to make sure that the kid will have the academic skills to succeed. And apparently the test scores really help with that.  They are not looking for some stellar score, but alternatively, a score above some lower threshold. [/quote]

This sounds all well and good, but c’mon - that’s not why you have so many posters on this thread saying hallelujah over schools not being test optional.  They like tests because they have privileged kids with high test scores that probably wouldn’t be as high as they are except for their privileged circumstances, and yet they still think those test scores should trump everything else.  They view test scores as a scalpel and not an axe.  [/quote]

I have “bad test taking kids.”  I know this bc they took entrance tests in middle school and even with paid prep never did that well.  But test optional doesn’t help them either as there is confusion as to what it means and it has inflated the test scores significantly.  It only muddies the waters bc the story is less complete.   I am for a return to testing - even though that means my kids will be limited in their options - bc it seems to make sense to have that data.  Doesn’t the rest of the world rely on it?[/quote]

This is us. Test optional doesn't help my "average" kid in the slightest. Her scores are FINE by normal standards. But there are a couple of schools she is looking at where I can guarantee the published average is just not true. It makes her think she can't hang, when I know she could. [/quote]

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