2. Hampshire College
Located in Amherst, Massachusetts
Enrollment is 1,400 students
Founded in 1970 as a “test optional” school
Around 800 schools “test optional”
“test optional” vs “test blind”
Why they choose to be “test blind”
How many schools are “test blind”?
3. Literature Review
Simmons found that students who are high performing in the classroom perform a
substantially lower test score than their highest scoring classmates. (Simmons)
“Similar to years past, the study found that student whose parents have a high school
diploma scored an average of 400 points higher than students whose parents do not
have a high school diploma.” (Mulhere)
More universities are turning to test-optional admissions policies to create access to
underprivileged students. (Jaschik)
This study shows that universities that have adopted the test-optional policy have had
no changes in the ethnically diverse students they are accepting. Instead, the study
suggests, the university is benefiting from the policy more than the students. The
university receives more applications allowing them to be more selective and have a
higher SAT and ACT averages because students who receiver lower scores choose
not to report them. (Education Evaluation)
4. Flow of the Evaluation
Collection
•Interview Stakeholders
•Collect Archive Data
Interpret
• Interpret Stakeholders Goals
•Correlate Stakeholders Goals With Policy Goals
Findings
•Provide Recommendations For The Program Reflect
The Stakeholders Goals
5. Recommendations
Test-blind policy- Created to provide open access to students from low income families.
If the Stakeholders goals align with the test-blind policy
Continue “test-blind” policy and allow students to submit admissions videos with their transcripts
in place of essays and recommendations.
If the Stakeholders goals do not align with the test-blind policy
Return to the “test-optional” policy
Will continue to grow applicant pool but allow the university to see more information to identify high ability
students
6. References
Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis. (2014). American Educational Research
Association, XX(X), 1-18. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
http://www.collegetransitions.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/02/Belascoetal_TestOptional.pdf
Jaschik, S. (2014, September 25). 'Dimensional' Admissions. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/25/bennington-introduces-new-option-
applicants
Mulhere, K. (2014, October 7). Flat SAT Scores. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/07/average-sat-scores-show-little-change
Simmons, A. (1999, June 8). We Need to Look Beyond Test Scores. Retrieved November 12, 2014,
from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-06-08/news/9906080196_1_test-scores-scores-of-
minority-students-act-scores
