Apr 16, 2024
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
1. What does the research say about testing and equity?
2. How do standardized tests help predict college readiness?
3. Why do many states and school districts in the U.S. use the SAT and ACT tests as part of their high school graduation requirements, accountability and evaluation systems?
4. What might surprise people about the research on testing?
5. Instead of casting blame on the tests themselves, what should those who want to improve education and equity focus on?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Yoon S. Choi is CEO of CollegeSpring, a national nonprofit that helps schools and teachers provide free SAT and ACT prep to students from low-income backgrounds. She has over a decade of leadership, management, and fundraising experience, primarily with organizations serving underrepresented youth. In 2020, she was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She has published articles about testing and college access in Inside Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, and EdSource. Yoon earned her doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Irvine, as well as a master’s degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College.
Yoon previously appeared on this podcast in episode # 111 to discuss Do Test Optional Policies Drive Equity.
Reach Yoon at https://collegespring.org.
LINKS
Words Matter: Don’t Go Test Optional, and If You Do, Call it Something Else
Test Optional Won’t Level the College Admissions Playing Field,
RELATED EPISODES
WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM TEST OPTIONAL POLICIES?
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
BENEFITS OF SCHOOL DAY TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.