Missing the Expected Impact

By Charlie Tyson. Many in higher education believe that test-optional admissions policies –- when colleges and universities do not require applicants to submit standardized test scores -- boost enrollment of low-income students and underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans). A new study, however, challenges this conventional wisdom.
An article published last week in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis argues that a college’s adoption of test-optional policies does not increase the proportion of low-income and African-American, Latino and Native American students who enroll. Instead, such policies benefit the institution. Read more...