Question: Assessing Matches, Reaches and Probables using Naviance

LuckyCharms913
Thu, 02 Jul 2015 15:49:30 +0000

If your kid falls in the middle of a cluster of solely acceptances (at least 8-10), then I think you have a match–and likely a safety if the cluster is located to the upper right of the average stats box. But if some students in that cluster area are rejections or WLs, I’d be less sure.

Another caution: Because both ACT and SATs scores are charted, the scattergrams can be misleading. Example: Student takes the SAT and gets a 2000, then takes the ACT and gets a 33. Student sends the SAT only to those schools that require all test results; for most apps, they only submit the ACT score. However, their Naviance admit/defer/reject results show up “tied” to both scores. So the scattergram will show an acceptance to say, Northeastern, with SAT score of 2000 – but Northeastern never even saw that SAT score and admitted based on the 33 ACT.

Also, the SAT is charted as a superscore but the ACT is not – which can be misleading for schools that superscore the ACT. Example: Students takes ACT twice, gets 31 composite both times, but superscore is a 33. Student applies to and is accepted at, say, Wash U. Naviance shows acceptance with ACT score of 31, whereas Wash U considered that applicant as a 33.

Both of these situations produce “outliers.” Often this is a minor issue but it can be magnified for colleges that don’t get a lot of applicants from your school. Just something to keep in mind when looking at Naviance.