The New SAT's Impact on Colleges and Universities
Late in the afternoon on October 31, a large group, mainly of counselors and college admissions professionals, gathered in the Astor Ballroom for The New SAT's Impact on Colleges and Universities. Moderated by John Barnhill, director of admissions and records at Florida State University, the panel focused on the new writing component on the SAT. Sharon Alston, director of admissions at American University in Washington, D.C., one of the colleges that is requiring a writing score for admissions, introduced a theme echoed by all of her co-panelists: "American University is excited about what the writing score might mean for us . . . and by fall 2008, we'll have a better idea of how the writing score fits."
(from left) Maria Laskaris and Carol Lunkenheimer
Mabel Freeman, Ohio State's assistant vice president of undergraduate admissions, said, "None of us is likely to pledge our total allegiance until we know how it will work." In her very diverse university, they are requiring the writing score and trying to look closely at how it should be used. "The faculty felt that today's incoming student really didn't have a handle on writing," she said. "So they thought the writing score might give some credence to the importance of writing."
Carol Lunkenheimer, dean of undergraduate admissions at Northwestern, said, for the time being, Northwestern is also in "data collection mode." It is requiring a writing score, but the intention is not to look at very many actual essays. Her admissions staff is likely to look at an SAT essay when the applicant is from abroad, is an athlete, or is a C- English student who hands in "an incredibly polished admissions essay." After two years, they will know more about score validity and might look more closely at the essays.
(from left) Mabel Freeman and Sharon Alston
Maria Laskaris, director of admissions at Dartmouth College, said, "I echo my colleagues" and discussed the extensive efforts under way at Dartmouth to analyze the new scores. Last summer the college downloaded 210 essays, took a random sample, and assigned staff members to grade them. The result was that they came very close to the scores of the College Board readers. "Ours were just a little bit lower," she said. She added, "The Great Gatsby and Madame Bovary were referenced in a lot of them, and these essays were mainly from juniors and that's what they're reading!" There was laughter throughout the room. She closed by saying, "We think this information will ultimately be helpful to our writing faculty."
When John Barnhill opened the floor to questions, Ted O'Neill, who is not requiring a writing score for applicants to the University of Chicago, asked what would happen if it was discovered that the writing score has no value?"
Moderator John Barnhill
Sharon Alston responded, "We think it probably will tell us more." Mabel Freeman said, "If it adds to the predictive validity, it's worth it. If it doesn't, maybe it isn't worth it."
Susan Knight of the University of Delaware rose and told the room that her institution was using the writing score already. She said, "We like the fact that there's another piece of writing and it is indisputably the student's own work."
Mae Brown, assistant vice chancellor of admissions and enrollment services at the University of California: San Diego, said, "We're using it as we always used the SAT Writing Subject Test."
As the session neared its close, Ohio State's Mabel Freeman said, "Nine out of ten of the Big Ten are requiring the writing test and I think some will actually use it right now."
