Test Scores and College Admissions

Test scores contain valuable information about achievement and potential, especially for students from less advantaged backgrounds.
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In absence of some common measure and effort, applicants will spend time and effort on other, more subjective criteria that have less immediate statistical power,

The research on this point seems pretty persuasive.
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Standardized scores are valuable information. Schools can adjust them as appropriate for expected expenditures on tutoring.

Test scores make it possible to identify qualified people who don't come from elite feeder schools.

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The SAT and ACT are imperfect tests. However, their introduction led to an enormous increase in meritocracy (i.e. opportunity for able students from modest backgrounds). Without the tests, students w affluent, educated parents have all the advantages in advmissions.
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see the dartmouth research
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I am not certain how this interacts with the Office of Civil Rights' oversight requirements. It's possible that the OCR can audit SAT submissions, and this might tie the hands of admissions committees.

There is plenty of room to improve testing, but test scores are a key avenue for otherwise overlooked students to catch that attention of universities.

That was the initial motivation for developing standardized tests.

In absence of standardized scores, schools could switch and were switching to even more (income-correlated) manipulable criteria. I'm a little surprised anyone who ever went to school in a mixed income environment expected any other outcome.

SAT is a strong predictor. Why ignore that but look at extra-curricular stuff like crew or tennis? Worst system is forbidding test score disclosure. Univ of CA: rethink!

Probably should say "could" because the tests provide an opportunity to to improve, but won't necessarily cause an improvement.

Standardized tests aren't perfect but still provide valuable information for finding students with high potential from less favorable socio-economic background.
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