Bottom Of The Barrel

WPI goes test-optional

Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced yesterday that they have adopted a test-optional admissions policy beginning with candidates applying for entrance in the fall of 2008. They will no longer require [although still encouraged] the submission of SAT/ACT standardized test scores for undergraduate admissions and have become the first predominantly technological university to make standardized test scores optional for admission.

I applaud WPI for taking a progressive and leadership position on the misuse of standardized testing. The SAT test has been shown to be bias with the wording of the questions and has been also made harder recently to combat the rising number of perfect scores. Additionally they added an essay section but that too has come under fire because they do not require the essay to be factually correct. This trend shows that the test no longer called Scholastic Aptitude Test. really does not measure one's ability to perform in a secondary education environment.

Currently there are approximately 375 colleges and universities that are using a test-optional admission policy and Massachusetts is home to 15 of those, most notably Holy Cross, Curry College, Mount Holyoke College and Wheaton College. I look forward to the day when more higher education facilities, beyond the liberal arts colleges, also adopt a more educated and enlightened admission methodology.

WPI will be using high school class scores along with research papers, science projects, or other indicators of academic achievement as the primary way to decide admission and it is these methods that will demonstrate mental ability, not learning to pass a standardized test.

Labels: College

posted by TheWino @ 8:15 AM