Gonzaga has joined the list of universities around the nation in saying they won’t consider pre-college test scores for the class of 2021.
The College Board, which administers both the SAT and the ACT, says it has cancelled most of the spring testing opportunities because of the coronavirus.
Because of that, Gonzaga has decided it will take the tests off of their radar screen for the class that will apply for college next fall.
“The tests do have some value in indicating how a student will transition into their first year, so we have still been using the tests even though some schools have been going ‘test optional,'" said Erin Hays, Gonzaga's director of undergraduate admission..
Recently, the University of Washington decided it would also go ‘test optional’ for the class of ‘20-‘21.
“Really, the best predictor for success in college in that first year would be grades, or GPA," she said. "Curriculum is also really important. There has to be a good college preparatory curriculum, perhaps some advance coursework.”
And, she says, college scores help.
According to the blog Prep Scholar, many of the colleges and universities in the Northwest already have made that a permanent policy in assessing prospective students.