In a thoughtful and insightful opinion piece in today?s US
News and World Report, Jill Tiefenthaler, economics professor and provost of
Wake Forest University explains their success with eliminating the SAT test as
an admission requirement.   In part, she writes

When we at Wake Forest University began to
rethink our admissions process, we looked for the best ways to choose students
who would rise to the challenges of our rigorous community and enliven it by
their presence. We wanted to affirm the full range of talents, skills, and
values that we seek in the students we enroll?things that don’t show up on
standardized tests: integrity, work ethic, open-mindedness, and that passion
for learning that drives students to lose themselves in classic literature or
intricate math problems.

Standardized tests were never intended to
measure the complexities of intelligence, and over time they have drawn the
center of gravity in college admissions away from things we value. Because
scores generally improve with guidance and repetition, the tests have
encouraged an industry of test training that takes advantage of the ambitions
of students and families.

  Nationwide 815 four-year colleges no longer use the SAT for
admission, including fifteen in North Carolina.   

 For more, panelists on NC Spin this week consider North
Carolina?s recent SAT test score results.