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Vol. 17 No. 1
August/September 2002
What We Learned About Testing Last
Summer...
College
Admissions...
They are A'Changin'
WHILE YOU WERE AWAY
at the beach or just taking a well-deserved break, several significant
reports were released that may impact the future of college admissions.
This month, as CB enters its 17th year of publication, we provide
a roundup of these issues. Welcome back. Have a great school
year!
Big SAT Changes
Slated for the Future
TREMORS ARE STILL BEING FELT
from this summer's announcement of changes in the SAT I. In June,
the New York-based College Board unveiled a number of fundamental
alterations in the 76-year-old test that has been a rite of passage
for generations of college-bound students.
At the heart of the transformation: an effort to make the
test, taken by over a million students each year, more reflective
of their actual skills in reading, mathematics and writing, and
what is actually taught in the classroom, rather than an abstract
examination that simply reflects student innate aptitudes.
According to College Board President Gaston Caperton, the
new SAT I will put "the highest possible emphasis on the
most important college success skillsreading, math, and,
now, writing."
ANALOGIES DROPPED
Gone, for example, is a seemingly dreaded and ambiguous section
on analogies in the Verbal Reasoning Test that has confused so
many students, counselors report, over the years. In its place,
students will grapple with critical reading passages from a variety
of scientific, historical, literary and popular texts. This section
will be renamed the Critical Reading Test to reflect its new
emphasis.
Perhaps the most important change is the addition of a writing
test that will include both a 20-minute student-written essay
and a 40-minute multiple choice test of questions on grammar
and paragraph construction. Students will write in longhand and
without the familiar aid of computer spelling and grammar checkers.
NEW WRITING SECTION
Linda Clement, vice president of the University of Maryland at
College Park, and a College Board Trustee, noted, "Research
has shown that the addition of a writing test provides increased
validity in predicting college success, but more importantly,
it sends a loud and clear message that strong writing is essential
to success in college and beyond."
The new writing section, which will be an adaption of the
current SAT II writing achievement test and graded by two separate
readers, will count for one-third of a student's final score.
A perfect score on the new SAT I test will jump from 1600 to
2400. Additionally, college admissions committees will be able
to electronically access student's essays.
The new writing exam could bring greater anxiety for students
who dread writing more than the old analogies section. Results
of the 1998 U.S. Department of Education's national writing exam
revealed that only 25 percent of students can write at grade
level. Statistics also indicate that about 17 percent of all
college freshmen are required to take remedial writing classes.
TOUGHER MATH QUESTIONS
Finally, tougher questions reflecting a third year of mathematics
instruction in Algebra II will be gradually added to the new
SAT I. The current section of quantitative comparisons will be
dropped.
RESPONSE TO CRITISM
The rapid and fundamental changes to the SAT are a direct response
to criticism of the old test by the influential University of
California that has threatened to drop the test as a prerequisite
for admission. Richard Atkinson, president of the UC system,
who first leveled the threat, called the changes "a major
event in the history of standardized testing."
Others are less impressed though. For example, the National
Center for Fair and Open Testing called the changes "superficial"
and charged that they did not address the fundamental inequities
for women and minorities who take the test. The College Board
contends that apparent inequities stem not from the test itself,
but from inequities in the U.S. educational system in which students
are instructed.
Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University, sees deeper
problems, not in the particular test changes, but in the test
mania that grips students and parents.
PRICE INCREASE
The new SAT will take three-and-a-half hours to complete, rather
than the current three hours. Adding the writing section to the
test, with its increased scoring costs, will add about $12 to
each student's current $26 price of taking the exam.
Similar changes are scheduled for the 2004 Preliminary SAT
(PSAT) for the high school class of 2006.
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Record Number
of Students Take ACT
THE ACT TEST
RESULTS for the Class of 2002 have just been released.
Here's what they show:
- the national average composite score for the ACT Assessment
is 20.8;
- more than 1.1 million members in the class of 2002 took the
test;
- males and females earned equivalent composite scores in states
where all students took the assessment;
- and four in 10 test-takers are prepared for selective or
highly-selective colleges.
AVERAGE DOWN SLIGHTLY
With that said, the average national composite score dropped
from 21 to 20.8, returning to its 1995 level. But ACT concluded
that the drop "is not a surprise." The members of the
Class of 2002 who took the ACT Assessment were a more heterogeneous
group. For example, in Colorado and Illinois, all 11th graders
were required to take the ACT beginning last year as part of
their statewide achievement testing programs. So many students
who were not planning to go to college took the test this year.
Also, the results include 30,000 additional students more
than last year who ACT states were not taking rigorous core courses
that would prepare them for college-level coursework. Fewer than
62 percent of test takers took such courses this year compared
to 64 percent last year. ACT defines proper preparation as four
or more years of English and three or more years each of math
(algebra and above), social sciences and natural sciences.
However, there was an upside. "The end result was very
positive," said ACT Chief Executive Officer Richard L. Ferguson.
"Thousands of students in Illinois and Colorado who had
not indicated an interest in attending college were identified
as ready for college coursework. As a result, many of those students
were encouraged to enter college this fall. Taking the ACT opened
doors of opportunity for these students."
CORE CURRICULUM COUNTS
Students who took at least the core curriculum earned an average
composite score of 21.8, while those who took less than the core
curriculum earned an average 19.2.
Among the students who took the ACT Assessment, 13 percent
earned a composite score of 27 or higher, within the range preferred
by highly-selective colleges and universities; 42 percent attained
composite scores of 22 or higher, the range preferred by selective
colleges; 58 percent had scores of 20 or higher, the range for
colleges with traditional admissions policies; and 73 percent
had 18 or higher, used by colleges with liberal admissions policies.
Female test-takers continued to outnumber males by substantial
margin, comprising 56 percent of the ACT tested seniors. Males
earned higher average scores than females on mathematics and
science tests. Females earned higher average scores on the English
and reading tests.
Caucasians earned the highest average score at 21.7, followed
by Asian-Americans at 21.6, Puerto Rican/Hispanic students at
18.8, American Indiana/Alaska natives at 18.6 Mexican-American/Chicano
students at 18.2 and African American students at 16.8. Students
who took the core college-prep curriculum earned higher average
scores than those who did not in all racial/ethnic groups.
At the same time, there was a 21 percent increase in the number
of Hispanic students tested this year. Yet, a large number of
those students did not take a core college-prep curriculum. A
fourth (27 percent) of all ACT-tested graduates attained a core
of 17 or lower, suggesting that students are struggling with
academic skills such as: identifying the purpose of a particular
sentence in a paragraph, solving routine one-step arithmetic
problems or reading tables and graphs.
Research recently conducted by ACT suggests that urban Hispanic
and African-American high school students don't always get the
information they need, when they need it, to adequately prepare
for college, according to Ferguson.
"The challenge facing school districts is to provide
all students and their parents with the expertise and resources
they need to get ready for college-level coursework," he
said.
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, the highest possible
score. It is administered in all 50 states and ACT states it
is the predominant college entrance exam now in 25 states.
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TESTING TRENDS
College Board and ACT Will End Practice of Flagging
Test Scores Under Extended Time. Both the College Board and
ACT announced this summer that, effective in fall 2003, they
will cease flagging the test scores of students who take their
tests under extended time conditions. The current practice with
students who are granted extended time to take the tests due
to a documented disability is to flag the students' score reports,
thus indicating to the college that the test was taken under
nonstandard administrative conditions. Effective with the 2003/04
testing year, this practice will end.
AP Attacked. Advanced Placement
courses should not be given extra weight in the admissions formula
to California public universities, a state education restructuring
panel has advised. The issue is not the quality of AP courses,
but their availability. California state universities recalculate
high school grades and give extra credit to students who take
the more rigorous AP courses. But since not all California high
schools offer the AP courses (about 20 percent don't), the question
is of equity.
Nationally, about 1.6 million high school students took AP
tests this year, up from 600,000 a decade ago. Congress and 40
state governments have offered monetary help to poorer schools
to train teachers to teach the AP courses.
The California state panel wants to replace the AP offerings
with across-the-board curriculum changes which require greater
rigor in all schools for all students. But California college
officials are afraid that the change in incentives will mean
that fewer students will actually take rigorous courses. The
debate will continue and CB will keep you updated.
Taking Tests in Stride.
Although the public and the media engage in ongoing debate about
the nature of testing, students report they take the tests in
stride, according to a new report from Public Agenda. In a survey
of 600 middle school and high school students nationwide, 95
percent reported they either can deal with the stress or don't
worry at all about taking tests. "Virtually all students
say they take the tests seriously, and most also seem to be taking
the tests in stride," said Jean Johnson, senior vice president,
Public Agenda.
Testing Resources. Fair
Game? The Use of Standardized Admissions Tests in Higher Education,
Rebecca Zwick (Routledge Falmer, 2002) $19.95 pb; 1-800-643-7064;
Cracking the SAT and Cracking the ACT and a new Cracking
the PSAT/NMSQT (Random House, The Princeton Review, 2002)
$19.95.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Inside College Campuses
THIS FALL, college campuses
"are a' changing" too. Michigan State completed a $12
million renovation of its aging Shall Hall dorm, complete with
new wiring, furniture, TV sets and...hot tubs. No wonder all
840 spots were taken this fall with a waiting list of 200....
In the West, Linfield College in Oregon began construction on
a $12.2 million library theater complex scheduled to be complete
in 2003. The aim is to strengthen the liberal arts mission of
the college.... In Chicago, Columbia College, Roosevelt University
and DePaul University have begun construction on a joint $130
million residence hall in the South Loop of the city that will
house more than 1,600 students. The estimated completion date
is 2004.... And Kenyon College in Ohio announced it was beginning
a construction project to tear down "sixties" buildings
and replace them with new buildings that look like the original
Gothic architecture.
What next? Below, Dick Jones Communications reports on what's
new at various campuses around the country on a potpourri of
issues.
New Proficiencies. Under a curriculum to be implemented
this fall, students who graduate from Washington & Jefferson
College in Washington, Pennsylvania, must demonstrate proficiency
in five areaswriting, oral communications, critical reading,
quantitative reasoning and use of information technology. Proficiency
is required across disciplines, meaning that students might be
asked to demonstrate writing proficiency in a history class,
or technology proficiency in a music class. Professors are being
challenged to find ways to design a chemistry course as a writing
course, and a philosophy course as a technology course. The college's
new Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is assisting
with the transition and faculty training.
Targeting Minorities and Women in Engineering. While
the number of engineering degrees granted is rising and engineering
employment is rebounding, women and minorities still stay away
from the profession in droves. A new report, "Women's Experiences
in College Engineering," finds female engineering enrollment
nationally at only 20 percent. The University of Denver is fighting
this trend with "The Making of An Engineer," a summer
program targeting female, African-American, Hispanic and American
Indian high school students. Students take classes five and a
half days per week with labs in robotics, electronics, superconductors,
digital design and other subjects.
An Aging Experience. Students at the Nesbitt School
of Pharmacy at Wilkes University in WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania,
are learning that a pharmacist does more than just count pills.
A year-long longitudinal care course pairs pharmacy students
with social workers at an agency for the aging. Students manage
each patient's medication regime, discuss medication compliance
and proper use of over-the-counter medications, and provide companionship.
"The class emphasizes service," says the instructor
Anne Lin, "but students also gain an understanding of the
psychosocial component of pharmacy practice, get experience in
disease management and can practice communication skills."
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New Focus on Gender. After participants at a campuswide
meeting at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, determined
that gender inequity on campus was a continuing issue, the college
decided to do something about it. "Students spoke about
feeling uncomfortable, if not unsafe, speaking up when they experience
sexual harassment, sexual threats or negative sanctions for not
living up to dominant ideals of masculinity and femininity,"
says Dr. Rhonda Singer, associate professor of sociology at Rollins.
Singer and a group of colleagues, students and administrators
organized "A Year of Gender Matters," a grassroots
campaign combining initiatives including training programs, lectures,
research, student leadership activities and seminars. Forty-seven
campus organizations, groups and offices were directly involved
in 50 to 60 different initiatives, with informal discussions
on campus.
New Remedies for Budding Scientists. To improve the
science and math literacy rates of students, Rider University
in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, has opened a new BristolMyers Squibb
Center for Science Teaching and Learning. The Center, which was
dedicated in April, is the new home to Rider's Science Education
and Literacy Center (SELECT). The BristolMyers Squibb Foundation
gave the university $750,000 for construction of the center and
program development. Faculty at the center will use the inquiry
method of teaching, with students learning science in the same
way that scientific experiments are conductedby asking questions,
formulating hypotheses, describing and recording events and communicating
conclusions.
The BristolMyers Squibb Center features state-of-the-art technology
and open design aimed at fostering active learning and interaction,
preparing teachers of science and mathboth subject-area
teachers and elementary school teachersto use the inquiry
method. The entire Center is a wireless environment with data
ports, laptop computers and Internet access available throughout
each classroom, enabling students to conduct online research
and prepare presentations as they work together to answer scientific
questions.
New Initiative to Attract Males. Lebanon Valley College
in Annville, Pennsylvania, attempted to buck the national trend
of declining males on college campus by starting a men's varsity
ice hockey program. Now in its third year, it is one of just
two NCAA Division III varsity ice hockey programs in the state.
Lebanon Valley says that as a result of this initiative, its
male enrollment is up44 percent of its current 1,520 fulltime
students are men. It hasn't hurt that Lebanon Valley has become
an NCAA Division III power in the sport, ranked nationally this
past season.
By Addie Felger and Mike Ferlazzo, Dick Jones Communications,
State College, Pennsylvania.
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BOOKSHELF
What did CB subscribers take to the beach to read during
the summer months?
- The Universities of the Italian Renaissance, Paul
F. Grendler (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002); $49.50,
hardcover;
- The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education: Continuing
Challenges for the 21st Century, William A. Smith, Philip
G. Altbach and Kofi Lomotey, editors (State University of New
York Press, 2002); $26.96; ISBN 0-7914-5236-0;
- The Idea of a Catholic University, George Dennis O'Brien
(University of Chicago Press, 2002);
- Catholic Women's Colleges in America, edited by Tracy
Schler and Cynthia Russett (The Johns Hopkins University Press,
2002) $45 harcover;
- A Coach's Life: My Forty Years in College Basketball,
Dean Smith (Random House, 2002); $13.95;
- In Defense of American Higher Education, edited by
Philip G. Altbach, Patricia J. Gumport, and D. Bruce Johnstone
(The Johns Hopkins University Press 2001) $19.95 paperback;
- Pioneer: A History of the Johns Hopkins University,
Hugh Hawkins (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002 reprint
of 1960 edition) $18.95 paperback;
- A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000
(University of South Carolina Press, 2002); $39.95, cloth.
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ADMISSIONS WATCH
Climbing Over the IVY Wall. Competition for top
students may be reaching new lows. Yale has accused Princeton
admissions staffers of "hacking" 18 different times
last April into Yale's new Web site for prospective students
who want to find out whether or not they were admitted. The Princeton
admissions officers used confidential information from students
who had applied to both schools. Princeton's associate director
of admissions said he was checking the security of the system.
After the Washington Post uncovered the story, Princeton
investigated the situation and the associate director was removed
from his position and offered another university job.
Harvard May Upset ED Agreements.
The New York Times reported that Harvard University
may begin enrolling students who have made an Early Decision
(ED) pledge to another university, "jeopardizing a longtime
gentleman's agreement with dozens of other highly selective colleges,"
including Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth and Stanford.
Harvard sponsors its own Early Action (EA) admissions option,
which does not bind students to the university if they are accepted
early. "We're certainly not encouraging people to break
commitments they and their parents have made," said Harvard's
dean of admissions and financial aid William Fitzsimmons. "But
there is a new rule out there. This creates a whole new landscape,
not just for Harvard but for all colleges."
Fitzsimmons was referring to a new policy passed last September
by the National Association for College Admission Counseling
(NACAC) that permits students who apply to a binding ED program
to also apply early to one school that does not require a promise
to attend, such as Harvard. The Times reported that many
ED schools are upset that Harvard is considering such a change.
Near Record Yield. Meanwhile,
close to 80 percent of students admitted to Harvard's class of
2006 chose to attend in September, returning to a yield level
"not seen since the early 1970s." The high yield meant
it was unlikely any students would be taken off Harvard's wait
list.
A record 19,609 students applied for 1,650 places in the matriculating
class, and only 10.5 percent were admitted, the lowest in the
school's history. The number of Asian-American students increased
to above 17 percent; nearly 7 percent are African-American students.
About 28 percent will study the Humanities, while 20 percent
will study biology.
Recruitment for next year's class has already begun. Harvard
sent out 60,000 letters to prospective students and admissions
officers plan to visit 55 cities.
Instant Decisions Increasing.
"Why wait weeks, even months, to find out whether a college
accepts or rejects you?" That's a question an increasing
number of college-bound students are asking. And an increasing
number of colleges are answering, "There's no waiting at
our school."
On-site, instant admissions got its start in the late 1970s
at Bard College in New York. Now many others are joining the
parade, including Virginia Tech, Radford U. in Virginia, Newbury
in Massachusetts, several schools in the California State University
System, Knox C. and Lake Forest C. in Illinois, U. of West Virginia,
the U. of South Florida, Michigan State U., and the U. of Iowa,
among others. Some universities, such as Northeastern in Boston
use the approach for transfer students.
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SCHOLARSHIP SCOOPS
9/11 Memorial. Indiana University, Bloomington
will begin awarding 9-11 Scholarships this Sept. 11 to memorialize
the victims. The 9-11 Scholarship Fund was begun with the children
of three victims and has now raised over $100,000. Three scholarships
of $1,500 each will be awarded: One scholarship to a prospective
business major; another to a student in financial need with siblings
already in the school; and a third to a student engaged in service.
For info see www.iusf.org or call 812-855-9152.
Leadership Skills. The Jack
Kent Cooke Foundation provides scholarships to students distinguished
by leadership skills, intelligence, competitiveness and intellectual
curiosity. A new young scholars program began this year for eighth
graders who need extra support through high school. New applications
will be available this fall. For more info see jackkentcookefoundation/ngschol/release.html.
Alcoa Goes Nationwide. The
Alcoa Found_ation will begin sponsoring a nationwide competition
for high school seniors who are the sons and daughters of Alcoa
employees in the U.S. It will grant up to 100 scholarships to
students who plan to attend a four-year college and 50 to those
attending a two-year institutions. The $1,500 scholarships may
be renewed each year. For info see www.alocoa.com/global/en/community/foundation_news_
release/scholars.asp.
New Hood College Heritage Scholarship.
Children or grandchildren of Hood alumni will only need to
pay the same first-year tuition that their parents or grandparents
paid to attend the college. For example, a grandparent in 1925-26
would have paid $200 in tuition! The scholarship is good for
the first year only.
Thurgood Marhsall Scholarships.
Students who want to attend one of 45 Public Historically Black
Colleges and Universities can now receive up to $2,200 a semester.
Recipients must demonstrate achievement in academic studies or
exceptional talents in the creative and performing arts. To apply,
students must be accepted by the college or university first
and apply through the institution. For more info see www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Hot College Towns. Which locations hold the current
mythical title of "hot college towns?" An organization
called ePodunk, ranked college locations according to 15 factors
including income, entertainment, restaurants, historic sites
and public libraries. Here's their list:
Big Cities: Boston-Cambridge, Massa_chusetts; Minneapolis,
Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; Columbus, Ohio; Seattle, Washington;
Medium Cities: Columbia, South Carolina; Tallahassee,
Florida; Madison, Wisconsin; Urbana-Champaign, Illinois; Ann
Arbor, Michigan;
Small Cities: Charlottesville, Virginia; Bozeman, Montana;
Hayes, Kansas; Boulder, Colorado; Missoula, Montana;
Towns: Hanover, New Hampshire; Princeton, New Jersey;
Brookings, South Dakota; Middlebury, Vermont; Durango, Colorado.
In addition to those above, CB's favorite college towns remain
Bloomington, Indiana; Honolulu, Hawaii, and New York City, among
others. We knew you'd want to know that....
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributor: Marc Davis; Circulation: Irma
Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration: Louis Coronel; Board
of Advisors: Rosita Fernandez-Rojo, Choate-Rosemary Hall;
Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford (N.Y.) Central School District;
Howard Greene, author, The Greenes' Guides to Educational
Planning Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational
counselor; Virginia Vogel, Educational Guidance Services;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis,
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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