Highlights
How Colleges Plan to Use the New SAT Writing Scores
Admissions professionals representing both private and public four-year colleges discussed the ways in which their individual institutions plan to use the new SAT Writing score for the class of 2006. Kelly Walter, director of admissions for Boston University described the extensive research she and her colleagues have conducted over the past six months before making their decisions. "I believe the new writing score will improve our evaluation and admissions process," she said, adding that Boston will continue to employ a holistic admissions process. Boston University will require the new SAT for the class of 2006 and will use the writing score as part of the admissions decision in the first year.
Kedra Ishop, assistant director of admissions at the University of Texas, Austin, concurred that her institution will require a writing score for the class of 2006. In the first year, her office will use the score for data collecting. She said that there is quite a lot of comfort with the new SAT at UT Austin, since they have been using holistic scoring of admissions essays for seven years, under the instruction of Brian Bremen, an associate professor in the Department of English. Ishop described several possible uses for the writing score after the first year of research, including using writing as a third exam score, comparing the essay to applications essays ("raw" versus "polished" writing), and replacing an application essay or a placement exam.
Keith Light, associate dean at Princeton University reported that Princeton will encourage students in the class of 2006 take the new test. "We look at test scores as a family of tests and we look at tests as 'imperfect but helpful.'" For the first year, Princeton will "mix and match," looking at the student's highest score from the current or new test, and they will continue to require three application essays. "We think the College Board has been going to great lengths to do this thoughtfully and for the greater good, by getting students and teachers to think critically and emphasize writing," he said. Ray Brown, dean of admissions, at Texas Christian University said they would consider the writing section along with the TCU essay. But TCU had not yet decided how best use the new score. All panelists stressed that admissions decisions are never based solely on test scores.
