Daily Archives: April 25, 2022

You may have noticed public discourse and scholarly literature discussions about standardized tests in college admissions have followed the lead of the last couple presidential elections: they’ve become highly polarized and tendentious. Standardized tests, say the partisans, are great equalizers… OR…the primary cause of today’s socioeconomic privilege. You’re either for ’em or against ’em. Evil empire or freedom fighters. Frankly, if it gets much worse, we may need to send reinforcements to the Capitol. What’s the truth about standardized tests in college admissions in 2021 insofar as they touch social justice and bottom-line admissions? Good question—two questions, really—glad you asked. […]

(Read Part 1 of this two-part post here.) Third thing to say about the false dichotomy in standardized testing perpetrated by media is that it’s hurting college-bound students. Like all dichotomies, it nurtures black-and-white thinking: good or bad, in or out, Democrat or Republican. And black-and-white thinking, in turn, fosters superficial thinking, quick rather than deliberate choices, and little-to-no consideration of shades of gray that may exist between the polar opposites. Through that lens, take a look at the new household term in college admissions, “test optional.” I wrote at some length about this last summer (The “Test Optional” Trap: […]