ACT & SAT No Longer Required At Central Washington University

It used to be that a lot of blood, sweat, tears and money was spent by students and their families trying to get good marks on the ACT and SAT college prep tests. Perhaps if the student had paid a little more attention in class and got higher marks in High School, they wouldn't feel the pressure to make up for past poor performance by excelling on the tests....but perhaps that's no longer the concern! We'll explain why in just a moment.

The ACT assessment is supposed to measure a student's ability to complete college-level work in four skill areas: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science and research shows a relationship between a student's ACT composite score and the probability of him or her earning a college degree.

The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors and is intended to measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. The concept makes sense in theory but how does it play out in practice?

A headline in the Washington Post online in October of 2019 read:

A record number of colleges drop SAT/ACT admissions requirement amid growing disenchantment with standardized tests

The article went on to say, "It may not quite have reached a tipping point, but the admissions world is clearly grappling with the use of standardized tests in admissions. Research has consistently shown that ACT and SAT scores are strongly linked to family income, mother’s education level and race. "

Over time, the conversation has become a question of: Given the influences income, family and race, do the tests really accurately measure what they are supposed to measure? More and more educators are saying they don't and they no longer act as the gate keeper or predictor of a successful college experience.

Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg has joined the growing list of higher ed. institutions just saying N-O to the S-A-T and the A-C-T .

New Provost Michelle DenBeste was a guest on the KIT Morning News to explain CWU's decision.

Source: ACT & SAT No Longer Required At Central Washington University