Standardized Test Scores and Their Use in College Admissions Decisions PURPOSE The purpose of this proposal is to examine Iowa State University's current and future admissions decision-making processes . Currently, most colleges, including Iowa State, use a combination of standardized test scores, high school class rank, high school grade point average and essays to make admissions decisions. All of the above are good determinants of a student's possible success in college, with the exception of standardized test scores. Standardized tests discriminate against minorities and are not a good overall indicator of a student's potential. For these and other reasons, Iowa State should not use standardized test scores when making admissions decisions. BACKGROUND Ever since the American university system began, someone has had the responsibility of deciding who gets into college and who doesn't. Colleges and universities need to establish somewhere who gets the opportunity to become more educated and who gets a full-time job at McDonald's. This decision-making has always been difficult work and has become even more difficult in recent years as competition in higher education has become tougher. College admissions departments have devised a system that combines indicators such as standardized test scores, high school class rank, grade point average and essays. Different schools place different emphasis on these indicators, but most use a combination. In recent years, many schools have begun to place more emphasis on standardized test scores. Nearly all college students now take entrance exams like the ACT or SAT. These tests supposedly indicate how “intelligent” a student is and how successful they would be in college. the switch. Most report many benefits with “no decline in the academic quality of their applicants” (FairTest). Colleges and universities could make this decision on their own, or the change could come through state-level policy. For example, in Texas, starting in 1998, students enrolling in public universities who were in the top 10% of their high school class did not have to take the ACT or SAT (State Colleges). A policy like this is another example of a possible way to emphasize high school achievements rather than test scores. The non-standardized testing policy should be implemented at Iowa State University as soon as possible. Beginning with the freshman class of 2001, standardized tests should not be used as a tool in admissions decisions.