Test Optional and Test Free?

The supermajority of colleges in the U.S. have gone test optional or test free during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oakton’s Honors Program has added high school GPA and is seeking other criteria for admitting student in line with this larger shift. We agree with that reliance on the ACT/SAT is an equity issue, a practical issue, and a safety issue. From MACAC - Test Optional (mn-acac.org)

This is an equity issue. Any conversation on standardized testing must start with its racist origins. In the words of author, professor, and historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, “The use of standardized tests to measure aptitude and intelligence is one of the most effective racist policies ever devised to degrade Black minds and legally exclude Black bodies.” In recent years, studies have consistently demonstrated the biases that persist in contemporary standardized tests, negatively impacting BIPOC students, women, first generation students, rural students, English language learners, and students with fewer financial resources. Relying on these exams maintains a status quo that supports oppression.

Read the whole statement for more on this perspective!