The Pendulum Swings Back: Test or No Test? Admission Decision-Makers' Perspectives on the Effectiveness of Test-Optional Policies

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 7:45am
  In Poster Session: Division H: Graduate Student Research Grant Awardees

Abstract

This study investigates perceptions of undergraduate admission decision-makers regarding the effectiveness of test-optional policies. While test-optional policies are often promoted to enhance equity and access for underrepresented minority students – including first-generation, low-income students, and students of color – their actual impact remains contested. Some institutions have begun to reverse course, reinstating standardized assessment requirements, which raises critical questions about the long-term viability and effectiveness of test-optional admissions. Grounded in institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), and using a quantitative research design, his research aims to understand how institutional actors - specifically those involved in admissions decisions - perceive the outcomes of test-optional policies. Analyses will examine relationships between institutional characteristics and perceptions of policy effectiveness and identify predictors of positive or negative perceptions. While existing literature has explored changes in application rates and enrollment patterns, further insight into the subjective evaluations of these policies by practitioners is needed.

Author

• Kiya Ma, University of Kansas