On July 19, the University launched a test-flexible admissions program, which will give Fall 2014 applicants more options for what they can submit to the University and will allow students to apply without submitting SAT I or ACT scores.

The change places Brandeis in a group of several other colleges that do not require all applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, including Smith College, Clark University and Wheaton College.

After two years, the pilot program will be evaluated, at which point a formal proposal to maintain, expand, narrow or discontinue the program will be reviewed by the Faculty Senate.

"The implementation of the test flexible pilot is more an evolution in the Brandeis admissions process than a revolution," Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel wrote in an email to the Justice. Flagel wrote that the goal of the pilot program is to provide a more accurate evaluation of all applicants.

With the new program in place, prospective students will still be allowed to submit traditional applications, including SAT I or ACT scores. Under the added options, students may also submit either a combination of SAT II subject tests, International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement tests, or submit an enhanced portfolio.

The enhanced academic portfolio includes a graded writing sample and an additional academic letter of recommendation. According to Flagel, the writing sample must be academic in nature, reference primary sources and be completed for a recent class the student took in an academic subject.

"Graded papers and academic recommendations can provide admission committees with more insight than any set of tests," Flagel wrote. "In all cases this assumes academic records consistent with Brandeis' exceedingly high standards."

The other test-flexible option requires that test scores for the SAT II, IB and AP exams be submitted from the following categories: Science or Math; English, History, Languages, Arts or Social Sciences; and a test from a discipline different than the applicant's choice from the first two options.

According to Flagel, students are required to submit three test scores to provide data in enough areas to be useful in the admission evaluation process. The number of required test scores will be up for review upon examination of the pilot.

Flagel said that there is no specific score that the University is looking for on any one SAT II, IB or AP exam. "Each of the tests have different score ranges, and the competitiveness of our process and intensiveness of our review is such that a specific number is meaningless outside the context of the full application," he wrote. "That being said, given the level of competition for admission to Brandeis the scores that will support admission are likely at the highest end of the score range, as is true for the ACT or SAT."

SAT II subject, IB or AP test scores will be looked at individually in the admissions process and will not be aggregated. "This is consistent with our current practice, as aggregated SAT and ACT scores, while efficient to use and popular in the media, are less effective in a highly competitive, holistic review process in gaining understanding of student potential," Flagel wrote in an email to the Justice.

Flagel explained that in the current model, standardized tests are used as supplemental information, and are "far less important" in the evaluation process than a student's academic record.

Studies were and continue to be conducted to determine correlation between standardized test scores and college preparedness, questioning the validity of SAT and ACT scores in determining aptitude.

The findings of researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, highlighted by USA Today in June 2011, showed evidence that two of the four major sections of the ACT-science and reading-had "little or no" utility in helping colleges predict whether applicants would succeed.

Despite the introduction of the test-flexible option, according to Flagel, no more than 10 percent of the incoming class will come from the pool of applicants who took the test-flexible option. "That being said, it is not possible to perfectly predict how many students will accept our offer of admission," he wrote.

Flagel said in a statement released by the University that last year's application pool increase of over 13 percent makes now an ideal time to launch the pilot program. Flagel said he believes the existence of the pilot program might contribute to an increase in the application pool.

According to Flagel, applications to Brandeis surged last year, and heexpects that trend to continue. "While the test-flexible pilot may contribute, it is the strength of our academic programs and distinctive campus community that are the driving force in our popularity," he wrote.

Despite the potential increase in applicants, the selective nature of the University admissions process will remain.

"In general most of the students admitted to Brandeis are already above the top 10 [percent] and I expect the test flexible admission program to be at least equally, and quite possibly even more, competitive," Flagel wrote.

Flagel said in the statement that he hopes the University will take a national leadership role in modeling best practices in the use of standardized tests. "With competition for admission to Brandeis at an all time high, we must do all we can to be sure we are admitting the most qualified possible class. I am confident that this new model will continue our tradition of admitting academically gifted and motivated students with a passion for changing the world," he said.
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