Minority students in college, surrounding high schools, and other administrative staff who are employed by the education system in New York City were interviewed by hosts of a Barnard College Education Program podcast entitled “Season 4: Complicating Class” which can be found on Soundcloud. The students on this podcast shared their concerns about the evident disparity in access to standardized test-prep resources.

“I always felt like standardized testing was a huge variable that affected whether or not I could attend a school. I didn’t believe that I could apply to a highly selective school because I never felt that my test score was going to match up to what was expected.”

“The mere fact that they [academic and standardized testing intuitions] make millions and billions of dollars in revenue is sort of a red flag.”

“Students are more than test scores, they’re more than numbers, they’re people; people with interests. Visions.”

“The hope is that we would be meritocratic in these institutions.”

 Research has shown that higher standardized test scores, boosted by prep materials, have a significant impact on a student’s ability to be considered in the college admissions process. For example, students who can afford standardized test preparation services may have a better chance of achieving high scores on the ACT or SAT which can be a major factor in college admissions decisions. 

One CUNY student shared their views. “Luckily since COVID, the SAT has been waived, so what we have been finding is that students are able to access schools that they normally wouldn’t have gotten into. Obviously, for lower-income ESL students, the material is all in English, so they aren’t going to do as well on the test. So that’s one barrier that students face [applying to these schools]. Let’s just hope these tests remain optional.”

Students who are in college or who are in the process of applying to college have expressed concern with the use of statistics to identify whether a prospective student is prepared to maneuver rigorous coursework at universities and other post-graduate institutions. A third-year at Barnard College shared her experience in applying to the college. “I applied during COVID, so I knew my experience would be different from others who applied in the past. I didn’t think that I would get in because I made a 23 on the ACT and, at the time, the average ACT score for students accepted at the college was a 31. My GPA was a 4.2 though, so I had hope. Anyway, I applied Early Decision because Barnard had gone test optional, and I decided not to reveal my test scores to them. A few weeks later, I found out that I got in, but I couldn’t help but think about the possibility of me being rejected if the college had not gone test optional that year.”

Many students face this fear; the fear of being rejected from their dream college because their stats weren’t impressive enough. The education system using standardized tests as a determinant of a prospective student’s preparedness for college is a tool that has been accepted for decades. Since its inception which dates back to 1926, the SAT along with other standardized tests have claimed to measure innate intelligence, but have proven to benefit white, privileged students at a disproportionate rate. Minority students at Barnard College and other academic institutions have begun to push against these institution’s reliance upon standardized testing, and have suggested a permanent test-optional policy be implemented by the admissions staff. 

Columbia University is the first ivy league institution to go permanently test optional beginning March 1st, 2023. Because of this historical change, many students anticipate Barnard College becoming test optional in the near future.  On Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 Barnard College of Columbia University refused to comment on students’ concerns with the college admissions process and policies maintained by admissions staff at the college. A group of students at Barnard asked the Admissions Office if they would comment on Columbia’s test-optional policy and their own admissions process as it relates to considering minority and first generation applicants. They replied as follows:

Dear [student],

Thank you for your email and interest in admissions. This is a particularly hectic time of the year for us, so we thank you for your patience with our reply. 

Since Barnard and Columbia have separate admissions offices and processes, we cannot comment on Columbia’s test-optional policy.  

We wish you all the best for your project.

Sincerely,

Ruby 

Proceeding an email request sent by students to appeal their decision to not offer a statement about Barnard College’s admissions policies, they responded as follows:

Thanks for checking back in, [student]! We are not available to comment at this time.

Best,

Ruby

Students across the nation, particularly at Barnard, are beginning to form local coalitions to expedite change within the education system. At the Bold Print, we encourage all our readers to support these efforts if they are able. Here is a list of organizations fighting for change in the American education system, and across other multidisciplinary domains. 

The Heckscher Foundation for Children: https://www.heckscherfoundation.org

The Heckscher Foundation focuses on “inflection point” funding within a venture philanthropy framework. They closely consider specific obstacles that keep underserved youth from realizing their full potential, and then they identify key junctures, or inflection points, where their grants might change the course of their lives. From there, they look for innovative programs, partnerships, and solutions that address those junctures and are grounded in positive, long-term outcomes, dividing our giving into four main categories described below.

FLI Network at Columbia University: https://lionlink.columbia.edu/organization/FLIP

Officially founded in the Fall of 2014 as Columbia First-Generation Low Income Partnership, Columbia FLI Network’s overall purpose is to provide appropriate communities and platforms for First-generation and low-income students to talk about and act upon a range of issues that pertain to these intersectional identities.

Barnard-Columbia Socialists: https://www.facebook.com/barnardcolumbia.socialists/

Barnard-Columbia Socialists is a group of students, workers, and other members of the University community who agree on the need to organize against all forms of exploitation and oppression. The group aims to fight for and build a socialist alternative that puts people before profits.

CU NAACP: https://www.facebook.com/columbianaacp/

CU NAACP fosters an environment on the campus of Columbia University that embraces unity and diversity by advocating for social justice, the elimination of all barriers that prevent the empowerment of humanity, and activism through service.