One of the most significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the college admission ecosystem was the relatively rapid and nearly wholesale adoption of test-optional (or test-free, in some cases) admission policies by colleges and universities.
Prior to the pandemic, the biggest challenge to an institution considering moving to a test-optional admission policy was the institutional decision-making thicket that could prove difficult to navigate, in part due to the inertia that can define systems and structures and inhibit movement away from the status quo. COVID-19 short-circuited the process, as colleges moved away from test requirements out of necessity: The admission testing infrastructure—high schools, for the most part—was locked down. The decision was, in many ways, made for colleges and universities as much as by colleges and universities. Now that the pandemic is receding in the distance, colleges and other stakeholders must begin the hard work of assessing whether the switch to test-optional admission will produce hoped-for improvements to equity, a process that will require careful examination.
Prior to the pandemic, NACAC convened a Task Force on Standardized Admission Testing for International and US Students, in response to years’ worth of concerns about inequitable access to admission tests internationally as well as inequitable effects of admission tests domestically. The task force posed the question, “As the gatekeepers of access, the policies and practices of admission offices are paramount to achieving a fair and equitable process. As a prominent feature of many admission policies, college admission exams stand out for their visibility and, arguably, their outsized importance, which has prompted a decades-long debate over the question, ‘What are the ways in which college admission exams contribute to or detract from postsecondary access and success for a diverse set of students?’”
Ultimately, the task force issued a set of recommendations for colleges to consider when thinking about whether to require standardized tests beyond the context of the pandemic. Importantly, the final report stated that “The task force observed that if standardized testing perpetuates or worsens inequities, and if it is to remain a part of the undergraduate admission process at all, it must receive the most stringent of reviews.” [Emphasis added.]
As an extension of this thinking, the committee recommended that colleges’ decisions about their test policies should “include a plan for frequent reviews.”
This recommendation will be critically important to understanding the effects of any change in admission policy, including a move to test-optional admission, on equity and college access. This is one of the reasons why NACAC was eager to accept an opportunity to work with the Gates Foundation, along with a range of research and policy stakeholders, to further examine test-optional and other admission policies. NACAC’s release for the foundation’s project noted, “The abrupt elimination of testing requirements for admission to more than 1,800 postsecondary institutions during the pandemic provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine how test-optional and test-free policies can impact the college enrollment of Black, Latinx/e, Indigenous, Asian, and low-income students.” NACAC will serve as a facilitator for the exchange of information by the project’s partners, as well as discussion of project findings among college admission counseling professionals.
Project deliverables are just beginning to come to fruition, so stay tuned for forthcoming news and resources related to the project’s findings. And watch this space for more news and commentary related to the project.
David Hawkins is NACAC’s chief education and policy officer. You can reach him at dhawkins@nacacnet.org.