<p>taxguy,
not statistical or “proof,” I know, but, FWIW, I did much better in college than classmates (at same college) who outscored me, esp. in math scores. That was esp. true of the guys, whom I significantly outperformed as an undergrad – obviously those who shared their history, that is. (I also way outperformed both males & females in grad school who did better on the GRE, although that’s not on-topic.) I’ve seen so many examples of this on both levels of education, that I look askance at any standardized scores as reliably predictive. </p>
<p>And, although the Mt. Holyoke policy is news to me, I applaud it. And I agree with their approach: IF a particular skill (such as writing) is so bleepin’ imp. to a college, stop being lazy & create your own damn “test” (in this case, via the MH application itself). But it could be a separate test, as well, or in substitute, if you’re so hot for tests. That could also be an option for those students who don’t have access to many AP courses in h.s., to demonstrate their proficiency & compete with more advantaged students. But for those students with abundant opportunities to prove their preparation for college via their h.s. programs, I just think the SATs are of minimal value & are mostly either duplicative, or become an end in themselves.</p>
<p>JMO.</p>