The New SAT Score Policy: Tiny Loophole, Big Shock? (Newsweek article)

Parents Forum
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[quote]
Score Choice permits students to send only their best overall score from a given test date. So students can take tests repeatedly with no apparent penalty. Indeed, according to guidance counselors, many high-school juniors are signing up to take next month's SAT, just as they did this month. The juniors are doing so because they figure it's a free swing at a good score, and they can always re-take the test in March or May.</p>

<h2>There's one catch. Colleges can opt out of Score Choice and require applicants to report every SAT score. And some colleges have now decided to do so, NEWSWEEK has learned. Stanford, Cornell, Pomona, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California told NEWSWEEK their applications next fall will demand all scores. Other elite schools, including Harvard and the University of Chicago, say they'll honor Score Choice; many, such as Yale and Princeton, say they've yet to decide. A few, such as Colby College and Williams, say Score Choice is irrelevant to them because they already cherry-pick the highest individual math, verbal and reading scores from among multiple tests.</h2>

<p>"Railing against" Score Choice, wrote Bill Conley of Johns Hopkins, implies top schools "really are dissecting scores at a level we publicly claim not to." If "a student submits a single best sitting of 2320," he asked, does anyone really care "how low were her other score sets?" In an admissions subculture fixated on the SAT, the unkind answer would seem to be yes.

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<p>Reactions</a> to College Board's SAT Score Choice | Newsweek Education | Newsweek.com</p>

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<p>Thanks for posting this, coronax2.</p>

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<p>I am glad some colleges are not going along with CB. I think for a non profit, CB sure wants more and more of our money.
IMO taking the SAT/SAT2 more than three times is too much.</p>

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<p>A lot of schools say directly on their web site that they will take the highest scores from the verbal and math sections. However, it's really only fair as a way to take some of the weight off of standardized test scores. Truth is, the best schools would never teach to a test because who might you be holding back? </p>

<p>In any event.. In 2003, my daughter took the SAT with extended time due to a learning difference and did far better than the previous test she took timed. However, back then the test was flagged as "extended time" to college admissions. At the time I thought she was just leveling the playing field as she went from a 490 to a 600. Not wizardly. However, enter the disabilities Act of 74 and collegeboard stopped flagging those tests. Well, that would have been great for my daughter, but I see now where kids are getting straight 800's with the extra time and I see it as completely unfair because these are BRILLIANT kids to begin with. So I think, in the end these tests are stupid and unreflective of true success in college. Who cares how many times you take the thing? There are kids who will also pay thousands to take tutoring and others who couldn't afford that in the least. Arent we just really hoping college admissions aren't mere number crunchers, which I am assuming most of them are human and have been in our kids shoes - some not so long ago.</p>

<p>The point is also that the viewpoint is often changed by what side of the fence you're on at any particular day (or child).</p>

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<p>I wonder how those schools will "demand" to see all scores. How will they know whether the applicant is reporting them all? Also, I wonder how score choice will work in practical terms. Will an applicant need to pay $10 (or whatever) for each sitting to be sent to a particular college? What if they took the SAT 10 times and only want the results of 3 sittings to be sent to a college? Will that be $10 or $30?</p>

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<p>It's better for colleges to opt out of score choice. First, people with enough money to take the test multiple times have an advantage over people who don't. Also, it simply makes no sense to not take the average. Quality control at factories are done by observing the average time-life of many, many parts. It's pointless to know that one particular part lasted 10 years while most others failed within 2. While the analogy isn't perfect, but good students will perform well on all their SAT tests while mediocre students will have mediocre averages.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom posted this on the College Admissions Forum, and I just posted the link to SAT and ACT Tests & Test Preparation. That should be enough discussions of this issue. :) Thanks, coronax.</p>

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<p>College Board's policy is squeezed between the worries of students (and their parents) and the desires of colleges for comparable information about students. But I think most of the family worries have ALWAYS been unwarranted, as I say in my FAQ: </p>

<p>ONE-TIME TEST-TAKING </p>

<p>Colleges have given up trying to distinguish one-time test-takers from two-time or three-time or even four-time test-takers, because that wasn't useful information to the colleges. There are a number of reasons for that. </p>

<p>1) The colleges have utterly no way of knowing who spends all his free time practicing taking standardized tests and who takes them "cold." </p>

<p>2) The colleges are well aware that students who have actually taken the tests sometimes cancel scores, so they have little incentive to give students bonus consideration if the students submit only one test score. </p>

<p>3) The colleges are aware that students who take the admission tests at middle-school age, who are numerous, do not have their earlier test scores submitted by default. </p>

<p>SAT</a> Younger than 13 </p>

<p>Hoagies</a>' Gifted: Talent Search Programs </p>

<p>Duke</a> TIP - Interpreting SAT and ACT Scores for 7th Grade Students </p>

<p>4) Colleges are aware that the majority of students who take the SAT at all take it more than once. </p>

<p><a href="http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Avg_Scores_of_Repeat_Test_Takers.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Avg_Scores_of_Repeat_Test_Takers.pdf&lt;/a> </p>

<p>5) Colleges are in the business of helping students learn, and they don't mind students taking efforts to improve their scores. They know that students prepare for tests. </p>

<p>From the New York Times: "Although coaching would no doubt continue if subject tests replaced the SAT, at least students would be focused on content as much as test-taking strategies, Mr. Murray said. There would also be pressure to improve local high school curriculums so that students were prepared, he wrote.</p>

<p>"These arguments make sense to Mr. Fitzsimmons [dean of admission at Harvard], who said, 'People are going to prepare anyway, so they might as well study chemistry or biology.' He added that 'the idea of putting more emphasis on the subject tests is of great interest' to his group." </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/education/19sat.html?pagewanted=print%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/education/19sat.html?pagewanted=print&lt;/a> </p>

<p>6) And now the College Board is back in the business of letting students choose which test scores to send into colleges, </p>

<p>Score</a> Choice - New SAT Score-Reporting Policy </p>

<p>so now there is less reason than ever to suppose that colleges care how many times you take the test, because the colleges have no way to know how many times you took the test officially. </p>

<p>Colleges treat applicants uniformly now by considering their highest scores, period. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/349391-retake-how-many-times-take-sat-act.html#post4198038%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/349391-retake-how-many-times-take-sat-act.html#post4198038&lt;/a> </p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/electronic_resources/viewbook/Rollo0809_GuideApplying.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/electronic_resources/viewbook/Rollo0809_GuideApplying.pdf&lt;/a> </p>

<p>From the Harvard admission office: "If you submit more than one set of scores for any of the required tests, the Admissions Committee considers only your best scores—even if your strongest SAT Subject Tests or portions of the SAT Reasoning Test were taken on different dates." </p>

<p>See also a Newsweek article about the renewed score choice policy adopted by College Board. </p>

<p>Reactions</a> to College Board's SAT Score Choice | Newsweek Education | Newsweek.com </p>

<p>Some colleges want to see all scores a student has ever obtained, period, but as one admission officer asks, if "a student submits a single best sitting of 2320," does anyone really care "how low were her other score sets?"</p>

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<p>Seems kind of prejudicial against lower income students.</p>

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<p>I disagree with the reasoning used in the article and by some of the posters to this thread. I don't think those schools are trying to see how low the scores were. They are trying to weed out the kids who have econonmic advantage by being able to pay for prep and the ability to pay to take the test 4 or 5 times. Rarely do lower income students take these tests lots of times.</p>

<p>Even though Token Adult states "Colleges are in the business of helping students learn, and they don't mind students taking efforts to improve their scores. They know that students prepare for tests. " it is high likely that the schools requiring all test scores may be concerned about too much preparation for tests. They may feel the type of student who takes the same test 4 or 5 times doesn't fit within the profile of the student body they are hoping to build.</p>

<p>(The school knows if a kid took the test a few times...in an earlier grade... since the dates are on the info. sent to the schools by the testing org. So...it is unlikely those tests will count "against" a student if they were taken to qualify for an enrichment program. But...if a student has many sittings for the same tests....and have a good reason for doing so....they might want to explain it somewhere in their application for the schools requiring reporting of all test scores.)</p>

<p>While Harvard says they will superscore, they also state: "We consider a student's best test scores, but it is generally our experience that taking tests more than twice offers diminishing returns. "
Harvard</a> College Admissions Office: frequently asked questions</p>

<p>It appears Stanford's application for this Fall ('09) is asking for all sittings. </p>

<p>"Applicants must submit scores from all SAT tests (including Subject Tests) taken or all ACT tests taken. Applicants cannot elect to "hide" any scores with either testing agency. "</p>

<p>Testing</a> Requirements : Stanford University</p>

<p>Does anyone know if they've always asked for all sittings for ACT, which had selective score reporting when SAT didn't? Also...the way the statement is worded is a little ambiguous. If a student took BOTH the ACT and SAT....would you assume they have to report all sittings of BOTH tests??? (The first sentence says "OR"....but the second sentence says no hiding from EITHER!)</p>

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<p>How would stanford find out your unreported SAT/ACT scores.</p>

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<p>Just like anything having to do with line items on a college applications that colleges can't or don't check, the consequences of lying and being caught are that your acceptance will be rescinded. Many people won't risk that.</p>

<p>Only thing I might want to hide would be SAT 2 subject scores that can be quite low if you didn't prep correctly. Most kids that I know don't take the SAT more than 3 times in their hs career.</p>

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<p>In my next life, I will avoid the SAT and the College Board. I will take the ACT and so will my children.</p>

<p>They are obscenely money-grabbing.</p>

<p>I wish I had had the idea to own the standardized tests that most colleges use for admission purposes!!</p>

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<p>What???? Thats not fair!!!! No one told me that when i took it last year and got a 1480/2400!!!!!!!! Thats so not fair will i have to report scores i took under the old policy?????????? Aaaaaaaaagh im screwed!!!!!!!!!!</p>

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<p>College Board has its sticky fingers in every step of the process, and they are in no way not-for-profit. Their URL is "dot com" rather than "dot org." That means it's not non-profit. So they grab as much money as they want. For those of you just in the testing phase of the process, they make you pay (a bundle) for the tests, for the reporting, after the first few, for any retakes or reschedules, for APs, same thing. Then, if you need to apply for financial aid, you have to pay (another bundle) for that. I wish we could figure out a way to stem this tide...</p>

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<p>
[quote]
The school knows if a kid took the test a few times...in an earlier grade... since the dates are on the info. sent to the schools by the testing org. So...it is unlikely those tests will count "against" a student if they were taken to qualify for an enrichment program.

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<p>The College Board wipes out the SAT scores of middle-schoolers unless you specifically request that they be retained. S took the SAT in 7th grade; those scores are gone -- don't show up on his College Board account at all.</p>

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<p>I do not think it was proper not to have disclosed this information prominently to notify future test takers that score choice might not really be score choice. I know some juniors that took the SAT yesterday believing that the test was "score choice". My child did not sit for the SAT yesterday, BTW. Either the SAT should be score choice like the ACT, or tell the public that is really not score choice. Don't tell the public about a new rule "after the fact".</p>

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<p>I see that the CB now has the new score reporting policy posted. I don't recall seeing "the loophole" information before.</p>

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<p>I have a junior, as well, northeastmom, and he also will not be taking the SAT until spring. I haven't been on the CB web site recently, so I didn't know if they had made it clear from the onset that colleges could opt out of Score Choice. If that detail was not disclosed, as this article seems to insinuate, that's a problem and very unfair to the students who have taken the test with Score Choice in mind. </p>

<p>I wasn't sure if this article had been posted, prior to my linking it last night, so I did a cc search on "Score Choice". I read several posts by students saying not to worry about taking the SAT early because of that option.</p>

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<p>I am not sure as to whether the "score choice" information changed on the CB site or not. I was absolutely, and incorrectly under the impression that the SAT was going to score choice and had no idea that there was this "loophole". My son has not taken the SAT, and might not ever take it. He has taken the ACT.</p>