Rather than posting my opinion, I’m sharing this for comment. A student stated that he/she applied test optional but noted that test score were included on a transcript, and asked whether the scores would be considered in admissions.
This was from a “Verified Admissions Officer”:
Yes, at least in my case. I work at a university in a city where the main school district puts the ACT on all transcripts. Many of those students have ■■■■ ACTs (I don’t mean low 20s as “■■■■” like some of you overachievers might think, I mean lower teens) but apply test optional. I cannot in good faith ignore a 12 even if the student applied TO. That’s just setting someone up for failure.
At most schools, no. They specifically state that if you ask them not to be used, they won’t.
I’d take them at their word.
You can see it here ont he LSU FAQ - Question 6 - what if they score is on my transcript…
Test Optional FAQ (lsu.edu)
What’s the source for this AO’s statement?
I could believe this, and if we are going to take the word of AOs who don’t look at the score on the transcript of a student who applied TO, we also have to take the word of an AO who says they do (assuming this quote is real).
I don’t support schools putting test scores on 6 or 7 semester transcripts and hopefully at some point parents and/or students will push back on this practice where it is still happening.
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I don’t know how an AO could see a super low score and just forget about it. They are human and it’s hard to unsee something.
My D’s HS used to put all attempts on transcripts too. Even back then parents were fighting it since superstores were allowed. I believe they finally stopped during Covid when so many schools went TO.
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I agree that an AO can’t unsee it. They may not use it in any quantitative rubric they do in a first phase of application review, but it may influence their judgement during the qualitative aspects of the review.
Our high school includes test scores and for both of my daughters (one submitted in 2020 and one was TO in 2022) and I asked for them to be removed. For the test-submitting daughter pre-Covid, there was no reason for schools who allowed superscoring to see all of her scores. It’s the same idea…an AO couldn’t unsee a low score.
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And this is the reason that TO is a disservice to some kids. The kid may be a top student from a very low standards school, admitted under various favored admissions categories, but really unprepared to do the work at the college that took them. Even if they were given a full ride, it’s still wasted time and a huge ego blow, plus they gave up the opportunity to go to a school more suited to their level of preparation, where they might have gotten a degree and a career. And if they had to take loans? Awful.
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Source is a “Verified Admissions Officer” on Reddit (r/A2C), apparently in the Memphis area from other posts. I don’t know the extent to which Reddit verifies credentials to earn the “Verified” tag.
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I had had students who were rejected at TO schools (before covid0 because of NYS regents scores that were on the transcript, so I very much believe that if schools post ACT/SAT score they will be hard to unsee.
CUNY is test blind this year, saying that they will not look at scores. I was speaking with one of my colleagues as results were coming back from a school that we are working with and pretty much called it regarding what CUNY schools students would be admitted to in the face of waivers. I have had SUNY AO’s tell me that even though they are TO that they are looking for numbers (NYS regents exam scores).
Remember you have a number of different grading policies in school an A in Mr/Ms. Smith’s class could be a C in the same course being taught by Mr. /Ms Jones’ class. I tell my students that if it is on the transcript, it will be looked at.
That being said, I do not believe that SAT/ACT scores should automatically be on transcripts. I understand at one point, they were considered unofficial scores when students could not afford to send multiple score reports-with self reporting ans students with fee waivers pretty much getting something like 20 score reports I do not feel there is no longer a need to place scores on transcripts
If the school policy is they don’t use the score, which I assume is from the Admissions office, and an individual AO says he does, it’s impossible to do both of these. If we believe an individual AO uses the scores, then the school’s policy is a lie, no?
Actually, in this case, the fault is with the District. Districts have zero reason to put personal scores on HS transcripts. The SAT/ACT scores are owned by the student.
If I was a parent in that district, I’d be pointed out the obvious flaw in their practice: plenty of selective schools are now TO or test-free, and they are wasting district time/expense to upload the scores.
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