High School seniors with low standardized tests scores can still get into some of the best schools in the country if they can prove their worth beyond those tests. For example at Bard College in New York, they have started an admissions process focused on having the best candidates attend the school rather than just those who are best able to market themselves to admissions committees through test scores and extra curricular activities. At Bard, applicants need to be intelligent, motivated, curious, and be able to prove it in words... 10,000 words. They must write four research papers (2,500 words each) on a variety of topics to prove their academic potential.
Students have submitted papers on topics as diverse as the cardinal virtue of 'ren' in Confucianism and on microbial research in relation to the human biome.
As more and more colleges begin to see students in their totality instead of how they perform on a test, do you think it's time to change how we rank and assess students? And if these tests are not the answer... then what is? How can teachers or colleges determine a student's potential without these giant tests?
Thoughts??