Capitolwire: GPA and ‘grit factor’ determine college-readiness, not test scores, officials say.

By Christen Smith
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire

HARRISBURG (Aug. 29) — College officials across the state say grades and a tricky-to-measure “grit factor” serve as the best indicators of preparedness when evaluating student admission applications every year.

That’s good news, considering the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in a report released earlier this month, advised the state expand graduation requirements beyond Keystone Exam scores and include a student’s grades and future goals as key components of “college readiness.”

The state, in its report, said its main goal is to prepare all students for college, even if a student doesn’t ultimately attend college, “as they will need ‘college level’ skills and knowledge no matter what their choice.”

That goal, in part, created the Keystone Exams — a series of three tests meant to measure student performance in Algebra, Biology and English. Prior to a change earlier this year, students graduating in 2017 would have been required to pass all three before graduating. However, lawmakers approved legislation delaying the requirement until 2019, allowing PDE to examine the effectiveness of the tests in meeting the college-readiness goal.

It appears, however, traditional standardized tests — from the PSSAs to the Keystones to the SATs — haven’t meant as much to college officials as grades and curriculum.

“Penn State follows the leading research that says high school GPA is the best predictor for college success,” said Clark Brigger, executive director of undergraduate admissions at Penn State University. “We look carefully at the curriculum the student has taken and the GPA the student has attained. We believe that points to success at Penn State.”

Brigger specified the university bases “about two-thirds” of its acceptance decisions on academic performance, while other factors — extracurricular activities, test scores, admissions essays — comprise the remaining one-third.

“It’s not just about test scores,” said Dr. Peter Garland, executive vice chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. “But also, nationally the grit factor, meaning that people want to succeed in college. They have a plan for success.”

Fourteen state-owned universities comprise PASSHE and while Garland says each one of them has their own admissions policies, test scores can’t tell advisers everything they need to know.

“While I think it would be nice to know that a single measure or a single battery of tests proves college readiness … as you might guess, people are very different and tests are very different,” he said. “What is sufficient in terms of scores can vary radically.”

Even at the community college level, exams only help determine placement, says Elizabeth Bolden, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

“A student is college ready if they are prepared to enroll in and complete college-level coursework,” she said. “As open access institutions, community colleges accept all students who apply and have a desire to learn, regardless of their academic or extracurricular records. There are no statewide admissions standards at Pennsylvania’s community colleges.”

Bolden clarified colleges use placement exams, student transcripts and “a variety of assessment tools, including the ACCUPLACER exam, the SAT, ACT and AP exams.”

GPAs and in some cases, Keystone Exam results, can also help determine proper course scheduling for students, she said.

PDE’s graduation recommendations, likewise, guide schools to tailor individual requirements appropriate for each district and encourage using “multiple measures,” including grades and a move toward “composite scoring” on the Keystone Exams.

Currently, the state requires students score 1500 or higher on each of the Keystone exams, demonstrating proficiency in all three subjects. PDE suggests accepting a combined score of 4476, instead, allowing for a student’s strength in one subject area to compensate for weakness in another.

Students who fail to achieve the composite score could instead use SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP and/or IB exam scores “as a proxy,” PDE says.

“PDE has concluded that the current graduation requirements too narrowly define postsecondary readiness,” the report states. “In order to more accurately recognize the varied pathways to postsecondary success, PDE recommends that a statewide graduation requirement reflect those pathways by offering options for students to demonstrate readiness. The Department of Education looks forward to working with the General Assembly to implement changes that will benefit the students and communities of the commonwealth.”

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