ACT/SAT for all: A cheap, effective way to narrow income gaps in college

The logistical hurdles on the way to the university are numerous: financial aid forms, entrance exams, letters of recommendation and entrance exams. There are dozens of details to remember, deadlines to follow, forms to complete and fees to pay. Parents who have done this themselves and have the time and resources can accompany their children in this process. The other children are largely alone.

These seemingly small obstacles bring many low-income students on their way to university. A study of high school seniors in Boston showed that some low-income youth "decide" against the university. Instead, they miss a significant deadline, or incorrectly complete a form, or do not accept a compulsory course and no longer fall into the university.

Consider ACT and SAT. These entrance exams are required for admission to almost all selective colleges in the United States. Students must register and pay for these tests, then go to an exam center in a weekend to take them. It's simple if you have internet access, a computer, a credit card and a car. If you miss one of these sources, it is much more difficult. The nearest examination center can be located in a suburb inaccessible by public transport on a Saturday morning.

But in a dozen states, ACT or SAT is now given free at school, one day of school during school hours. In most cases, ACT or SAT replaces the standardized test that students would normally take in high school so that they do not spend more time on testing. This is an interesting feature, given the generalized surf against perceived overconfidence in schools. [2] It is also necessary to sit before the test, which means that students can not unsubscribe because of their low expectations - or those of them or those of the adults who surround them.

In Michigan, ACT became part of the 2007 test for juniors in public schools. As a result of this policy change, the proportion of high school students in Michigan has increased from a college entrance exam from 54% to almost 99%. Growth was even stronger among low-income students, of whom only 35% took the test earlier.

Joshua Hyman, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, studied the effects of this new policy while graduating from the University of Michigan. [3] Hyman analyzed the test results and college attendance of all Michigan public high school students, before and after the generalization of ACT. This research was made possible through a permanent partnership with the State of Michigan, which was launched with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences.

The results were surprising. Thousands of academically talented Michigan students had not used ACT (or SAT, which Hyman had also followed). For every 1,000 students who scored high enough to attend a selective conference before the test was universal, 230 new high-level students were revealed by the new policy. [4] Among low-income students, the impact was even more dramatic: for every 1,000 low-income students who completed the test before 2007 and who scored well, another 480 low-income university students were revealed by the universal test.