<p>Two questions-</p>
<p>One, where can I find a list of the schools that have rejected score choice?</p>
<p>And two, how do colleges make sure? One kid I know isnt sending all his scorse to schools that apparently “reject” score choice. I mean, how can he do that? Will they call CB to see what your actual score is?</p>
<h1>1 <a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf[/url]”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board;
<h1>2 Dunno, it’s just unethical. And I don’t believe they can call CB.</h1>
<p>^^ The colleges can’t get your actual scores from the College Board or the ACT unless you have the scores sent. But schools that ask for all your scores could possibly find out you’re withholding some scores. </p>
<p>First, some high schools record your SAT/ACT scores on your official HS transcript. If that doesn’t match up with what you send from the College Board or the ACT, they could decide to reject your application. (And note that they don’t need to “prove” you did something wrong or give you any kid of hearing; they’re under no obligation to accept you, so they’re perfectly within their rights to reject you on mere suspicion, or for no reason at all). Or, your GC’s letter of recommendation might make reference to test results that you don’t report: e.g., “John showed impressive improvement in both his grades and in his SAT scores, raising the latter by 200 points between the January and May 2009 test dates,” when you’ve only reported the May scores. Oops!</p>
<p>Second, many colleges buy lists of students scoring over certain cut-offs from the College Board and the ACT—that’s how they generate lists for all those endless mailings. They don’t know your actual score, but they might know, for example, that you’re one of 30,000 students who scored over 2100 on the SAT on the March test date, because they bought that entire list. You have to assume they keep those records in a computerized data base. It would be easy enough to match up names and addresses, and to compare your reported SAT or ACT scores and test dates with what they already have in their files. A discrepancy could easily come to light that way, and again, result in denial of admission. Also, if your SAT or ACT was administered by your school, your GC probably has all your test scores and test dates in your file. If your application showed a suspicious pattern—e.g., all the other applicants from your school took the SAT at least 3 times but you’re reporting only one score—the adcom could easily call up your GC and ask to verify your test dates. Caught red-handed, automatic disqualification.</p>
<p>What are the chances of any of this? Hard to gauge. But it’s risky, and it’s unethical. Don’t even think about it.</p>
<p>[Score</a> Choice - New SAT Score-Reporting Policy](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/scores/policy]Score”>Send SAT Scores to Colleges - SAT Suite | College Board)</p>
<p>“Students are encouraged to follow the score-reporting requirements of each college to which they apply, but their scores are not released for admission purposes without their specific consent. Colleges and universities will only receive the scores that students send them.”</p>
<p>The CB is not responsible for the various policies colleges have regarding score choice, what is required and what is sent is between the student and the school. The CB cannot release your scores to anyone but you and your HS. Since it’s relatively new, I’m not sure if it shows on your score report if you used score choice. </p>
<p>Like many things on your application (ECs, essays, ethnicity & race, etc.), you are expected to be honest.</p>
<p>x-posted w/bclintonk</p>
<p>Re: post #3: I don’t believe that GCs have access to your SAT/ACT scores or any right to receive them, unless you voluntarily provide them, which you are never obligated to do. If your scores are printed on your transcript, you should request that your high school delete them before sending out the transcript.</p>
<p>Yale is one school that rejects score choice for the very reason you seem intent on using it. It has stated that it refuses to accept score choice because this is another tool of students bent on eking out some slight perceived advantage conferred from an improvement of a few points on the standardized tests. Yale is attempting to de-emphasize students’ obsession w/testing and rather encourage students to use their energies in other more worthy pursuits than constantly retaking tests.</p>
<p>(at least if you believe them (which I do)).</p>
<p>T26E4,
I don’t understand how this Yale policy translates to real life. Are you saying that high school students should know in advance (like by 10th grade) that they will be applying to Yale, that Yale rejects score-choice, so if they want to get into Yale, they better not re-take the SAT more than once or twice, regardless of their score?</p>
<p>Or, once they have retaken the SAT several times, and then realize they want to go to Yale, they are now out-of-luck and should not apply because Yale will reject them for having taken the test too many times?</p>
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<p>Well, the school gets your test scores—otherwise, how could it even be an issue that some schools are posting SAT scores on transcripts? And as an educational officer of the school the GC normally has access to any “education record” in the school’s possession. Like your grades, for example. So it’s hard to see why the GC wouldn’t also have access to your test scores, unless the school policy specifically prohibits it. But that would seem extremely counterproductive as it would severely impair the GC’s ability to do her job.</p>
<p>I don’t know, maybe some GCs out there can answer this for us, but my impression has always been that GCs have access to all of this stuff as they’d be the people at the school best positioned to make productive use of it in counseling students on college applications and admissions.</p>
<p>^^Of course, when you register for the SAT you put in your HS code and CB automatically sends its test scores to your HS. But, when registering for the ACT, you can leave the HS code code blank and thus, your HS will not recieve that test score. </p>
<p>Since homeshoolers also take the SAT, I assume that its also possible to register for a CB test and leave the HS code blank (but not sure).</p>
<p>T26E4, I would like to believe Yale has such admirable goals, but I am still quite skeptical :)</p>
<p>Bay: Yale has said these items in communication to its alumni volunteer network (and I assume in info sessions as well). Its decision not to accept super scoring in no way hurts those who take multiple test sessions – it just doesn’t want to encourage endless test taking in hopes of bumping up a marginal bit which in Yale’s eyes, won’t add to the applicant’s chances anyways given the holistic nature of their evaluation.</p>
<p>I would imagine this translates into Yale feeling 100% OK about someone’s 2150 SAT from a single testing session and powering out well in other areas versus someone who takes multiple sittings, super scores out to a 2300 but is very narrow and uninteresting.</p>
<p>Yale’s message is don’t burn yourself out trying to eke out a few more points on the SAT when the characteristics it’s looking for are more intangible (and in my opinion, mostly out of the realm of control for HS juniors and seniors – these being issues of real drive, academic spark and having something to offer the Yale community)</p>
<p>For the SAT, you can leave the high school code blank, and your high school will not receive your test scores.</p>
<p>Our local high school does not include any SAT/ACT scores on any h.s. transcript. It is the student’s responsibility to request and send scores to colleges, which they must do anyway, whether or not the scores are included on the transcript. This is the better approach, as it gives the student proper control over the release of their own scores.</p>
<p>T26E4,
I agree with Yale’s philosophy not to encourage endless test taking, but I support a student’s freedom to make the decision about how many times he or she wants to take the test and how the scores will be used or revealed. </p>
<p>If a student has a beautiful resume, with a great GPA and outstanding ECs, what difference does it make if s/he chooses to take the SAT 15 times, and why should it be anyone else’s business? (Including the GC’s). Conversely, if all the applicant has to offer is one near-perfect SAT score and nothing else, then colleges are free to interpret this any way they want, including that the applicant has a limited focus and is not a particularly attractive candidate for admission.</p>
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<p>Well, one reason it might matter is that superscoring and selective reporting of test scores hugely advantages affluent kids who can afford to take the test 15 times trying to up their score, and systematically disadvantages kids who can’t afford to take the test more than once or twice. The kid who takes the test 15 times and chooses to submit only his best scores isn’t necessarily better qualified than the kid who takes the test once or twice and lives with the results; but it might appear that way. Any system that privileges the already-privileged is deeply unfair and objectionable on ethical grounds.</p>
<p>bluebayou made an interesting comment about the rationale claimed by colleges that multiple testing is for rich kids, and single testing for poor kids. If colleges strictly require FULL reporting of all test scores from all applicants, some poor kids who took the ACT for regional Talent Search programs might have to pay twice or thrice to report their scores, unless they get an ACT fee waiver. In other words, the rationale doesn’t fully make sense. </p>
<p>But I don’t worry about it. We will just report all scores for all tests.</p>
<p>To dodge the “Should I retake/should I not retake” stress, my DD suggested that if there is a test date, she would be there. Sacrificing a Saturday morning was less stressful then the endless strategy stress. She is even taking every AP exam that she is vaguely qualified for, with out taking the parallel course (which is ticking off the school officials HEE HEE HEE.)</p>
<p>What we found is that her math subject test scores had a significant upward trend, which matches her GPA upward trend - and spins in to a nice essay on getting it together (dodging the average overall GPA) Sometimes showing that whole show has an advantage.</p>
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<p>If the “system” really cared about a level playing field for the rich and poor, it could easily do something about it. It could automatically limit the number of times the SAT/ACT could be taken to once or twice, or charge for the test on a sliding scale, or add extra points for being poor.</p>
<p>Doesn’t the policy really just favor good test takers? The poor kid who scores 2300 on the first try is not likely to be any more qualified than the rich kid who scores it on the 3rd try. So the system now “privileges the already-privileged” good test takers. Is this also “deeply unfair and objectionable on ethical grounds?”</p>
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<p>Umm, I think Yale does in fact superscore. They just want to see all test reports.</p>
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<p>Yesssss, you get it. The spin machine works!</p>