ACT, SAT in the P-AST?

Many universities in Ohio no longer require prospective students to submit ACT and SAT results.

Instead, admissions offices increasingly rely on coursework, personal essays and letters of recommendation.

The state trend corresponds with a national study that found more than 80% of U.S. bachelor degree-granting institutions didn't require students who sought fall 2023 admission to submit either ACT or SAT scores, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, or FairTest.

Standardized college tests have long determined admission and course placement. The SAT was considered an aptitude test designed to predict first-year college grades, according to FairTest. ACT, on the other hand, purportedly demonstrated achievement in English, math, reading and science.

At least 1,835 U.S. colleges and universities now have either ACT/SAT-optional or test-blind/score-free policies, according to FairTest. In Ohio, 87 colleges and universities, including Kent State, Miami University, University of Dayton, Ohio State University, University of Northwestern Ohio, Wright State University and WSU-Lake Campus, are test-optional.

Locally, Lake Campus' test-optional policy was first implemented in the fall of 2020 when "people were literally not able to take the test because of (COVID) shutdowns and things like that," said Jill Puthoff, Lake Campus' director of marketing and communications.

The policy remained in place after the pandemic receded. Lake Campus officials look at a high school senior's GPA and the curriculum they completed, Puthoff said.

If students think their test scores aren't competitive enough, they often will not seek out educational opportunities, WSU officials said. This is especially true for students coming from "underserved backgrounds or for first-generation college students."

To combat this, WSU doesn't require test scores for admission because "data have long shown that high school GPA is the best predictor of a student's success in college," according to officials.

When ACT or SAT scores are submitted, they are among a host of factors considered for course or program placement, Puthoff said.

WSU and its Celina branch take a more holistic review of each student's application.

"Looking at four years of a high school record of transcript is usually more important than looking at a four-hour exam score," Rob Durkle, WSU's chief recruitment and admissions officer, said in a news release.

Ohio State University doesn't require ACT or SAT scores for the 2024 and 2025 spring, summer and autumn semesters. However, it recommends applicants take the tests if available and submit their scores to the admissions office, according to the university website.

"We believe that standardized test scores provide useful information and predictive value about a student's potential for success at Ohio State," the website states.

OSU, though, will still fully consider a student's application without standardized test scores, the website indicates.

Even so, most colleges agree ACT or SAT scores may not reflect a student's overall academic performance.

Critics have long argued that standardized tests put minority and low-income college applicants at a disadvantage and pose a barrier to their admission, according to The Associated Press. They have noted that wealthier students or their parents have the money to pay for expensive standardized test preparation courses that help boost their scores.

"These schools recognize that standardized test scores do not measure academic 'merit.' What they do assess quite accurately is family wealth, but that should not be the criteria for getting into college," said FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder in a news release.

Miami University officials echoed Feder's statements, agreeing there are more effective admission factors.

"A test score has never been the only factor Miami's admission committee considers in application evaluation, and it certainly isn't the most important factor," Bethany Perkins, Miami University's director of admissions, said in a new release. "There are much better predictors of college success such as the strength of a student's curriculum and achievements in high school courses."

Miami University officials in the release specified the standardized test suspension is valid through 2025. School officials will then evaluate the outcomes of the class of 2025 before deciding whether the university should be test optional permanently.