Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 12, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 9 COVID-19 + Working Women: To register go to www.wbjournal.com/shecession April 20, 2021 | 12-1pm ZOOM. Free, pre-registration required. Sponsored by: Promotional partners: COVID-19 + Working Women: How to Reverse the Shecession WBJ WEBCAST SERIES WBJ WEBCAST FORUMS WBJ WEBCAST FORUMS WBJ WEBCAST FORUMS WBJ WEBCAST SERIES A WPI's initial test-optional move was followed by Assumption University in 2009, Nichols College in 2012, and Clark University a year later. By 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education gave approval for UMass and all state universities – including in Fitchburg, Framingham and Worcester – to go test-optional themselves. e ACT said its tests continue to make student applications stand out in a crowded field of candidates who may have similar grades and that ACT scores oen maximize a student's scholarship award possibilities. ACT test data, the company said in a statement, helps colleges make more informed decisions in enrollment. "Colleges continue to tell us that ACT data remains immensely valuable," it said. e College Board, a nonprofit running the SAT, emphasized the test helps admissions when used in a wider context. A partnership with the California nonprofit Khan Academy, for example, allows free test preparation to anyone through fee waivers. "We're encouraged by colleges reporting more diverse applicants and hope the result is more diverse classes. When used in context, the SAT helps colleges enroll a more diverse group of students," Priscilla Rodriguez, the College Board's vice president for college readiness assessments, said. "Students should have the choice to distinguish themselves by submitting scores as part of their application." Latham, the UMass Lowell professor, said he expects the SAT and ACT to evolve to stay relevant in admissions. "Yet I think the horse has le the barn," Latham said. "We won't see standardized testing play a large role in college admissions again." Other admissions leaders see broad benefits. High school students won't need to cram so much for a test they don't find as meaningful. Admissions staff can get what they feel is a better read on students' potential. A path toward diversity Admissions leaders at Central Massachusetts schools say they stopped requiring standardized test scores as a way to diversify their student bodies, and have succeeded. At Clark, whose campus is in Worcester's Main South neighborhood, the poorest pocket of the city, the test- optional decision was in line with the university's goal of better serving its immediate community. Few in Main South would have the same type of private tutoring for tests that others might enjoy. "It's the exact community these tests are biased against," said Meredith Twombly, Clark's vice president for admissions and financial aid. Other aspects of the admissions process have taken on a greater emphasis instead. Clark calls upon upperclassmen to help conduct close to 2,000 interviews every year to better gauge the potential of applicants whose qualifications might otherwise not be clear-cut. Fitchburg State conducts interviews for students looking to get into its high- demand nursing major, and moved up interviews earlier in the process because of their increased importance. "We ask them to submit anything about who they are as a person, not just their academic qualifications," said Jinawa McNeil, Fitchburg State's admissions director. At Assumption, the admissions staff considers intangibles like community service or a role in their family's life, factors that can come out through essays, interviews or letters of recommendation. e university gives as many as 50 scholarships a year to students who've demonstrated community service, and in 2019 created a Division for Student Success to help make sure students, especially those who are first in their family to go to college, have the right support. ose efforts have worked. Assumption's freshmen class this year has Asian, Latino, African, and Native American students making up 27% of new students, said Robert Mirabile, the university's vice president for enrollment management. Bill Boffi, the vice president for enrollment at Nichols, said the small Dudley school has seen similar benefits, with both more applicants and a more diverse pool to choose from. "at's exactly what eliminating a test score does, it makes all the other elements more important," Boffi said, mentioning interviews with students in particular. "at tells you a whole lot more about a student than two numbers." No test required A growing number of Central Massachusetts undergraduate colleges make it optional for applicants to submit standardized test scores. Anna Maria College, Paxton Temporarily optional* Assumption University, Worcester Optional Clark University, Worcester Optional College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Optional Dean College, Franklin Optional Fitchburg State University Mostly optional** Framingham State University Optional MCPHS University, Worcester Optional Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner N/A Nichols College, Dudley Optional Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester N/A Worcester Polytechnic Institute Not considered Worcester State University Optional Note: Mount Wachusett and Quinsigamond require only a high school diploma or GED for entry. *Anna Maria has temporarily waived its requirement in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but education and nursing students still must submit scores. **Fitchburg State requires nursing majors to submit scores, suggests them for students with certain grade point averages or standardized test scores, and requires a letter of recommendation for others who don't include such scores. Sources: Each college Institution Standardized test policy Meredith Twombly, Clark vice president for admissions and financial aid Robert Mirabile, Assumption vice president for enrollment management In 2005, the College of the Holy Cross was among the first schools nationally to go test-optional. W

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