Common App Removes School Discipline Question from College Application

[Dave_Berry]

Common App, whose application for admission is used by over 900 colleges and universities, as well as three million applicants, teachers, and counselors, announced today that it will no longer require applicants to report whether they’ve been cited for a disciplinary violation at school on the common portion of the application.

‘We want our application to allow students to highlight their full potential. Requiring students to disclose disciplinary actions has a clear and profound adverse impact. Removing this question is the first step in a longer process to make college admissions more equitable,’ said Jenny Rickard, president and chief executive officer of Common App. ‘This is about taking a stand against practices that suppress college-going aspiration and overshadow potential.’’ …

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/common-app-removes-school-discipline-question-from-college-application-301142324.html

[elizal]

It seems to still be in the common app tab in the current 20-21 version. When does this change take place?

[skieurope]

@elizal

It seems to still be in the common app tab in the current 20-21 version. When does this change take place?

21-22

[GKUnion]

Accountability is but a distant memory…

[EconPop]

@GKUnion

Accountability is but a distant memory…

Agreed. While individual states and the national government have yet to accept accountability for Systemic Institutional Racism, it is nice to see the CA take a stand and decide to not be a part of the problem.

Studies have consistently shown how school punishment is applied extremely unevenly. Here is but one study: https://www.ednc.org/eraceing-inequities-suspension-and-school-discipline/

Black students (14.9%) received out-of-school suspensions at least once at almost twice the state average of 7.6%. American Indian (12.2.%) and Multiracial (8.8%) also had rates substantially above the state average.
…
As we observed with OSS, Black students (13.0%) received in-school suspension at least once at almost twice the state average (7.1%). ISS rates for American Indian (7.7%) and Multiracial (9.2%) students also exceeded the state average.
…
To the extent that NC conforms to substantial literature suggesting little difference in misbehavior rates among racial/ethnic groups, this may further suggest that American Indian, Black, and potentially Multiracial students are targeted for more punitive discipline

Until our national and state governments effect substantial change, it makes perfect sense that other agencies who honestly acknowledge the inequities (including the Common App) refuse to be another cog in the machine that is systemic racial injustice.

[Groundwork2022]

I would hope they’d still ask if the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime. Sexual misconduct is enough a problem on college campuses without them admitting a known sex offender. Perhaps they want plausible deniability, but a jury down the line might see things differently.

[ucbalumnus]

@Groundwork2022

I would hope they’d still ask if the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime. Sexual misconduct is enough a problem on college campuses without them admitting a known sex offender. Perhaps they want plausible deniability, but a jury down the line might see things differently.

Someone convicted of a serious crime while in high school would probably be in or have been in juvenile hall, so the presence of juvenile hall high school attendance would be in their high school record, making the conviction obvious to any college admission reader.

[RichInPitt]

Next up - transcripts are optional because we wouldn’t want to discriminate, just because you did poorly in High School…

[Teachme21]

@ucbalumnus That may be true where you live, but where I live some children that perpetrate on a family member end up in residential treatment rather than detention. Many residential treatment facilities partner with local school systems, so the transcript would never reflect a perpetrator’s time there.