Back to the Basics: In Defense of Achievement (and Achievement Tests) in College Admissions

Summarizing a decade of research at the University of California, this paper concludes that admissions criteria that tap student mastery of curriculum content, such as high-school grades and performance on achievement tests, are stronger predictors of success in college and are fairer to poor and minority applicants than tests of general reasoning such as the SAT. How should we define “readiness ” for college, and what should we look for when reviewing applicants for admission? Over most of the last century, there have been two schools of thought. The traditional view has emphasized academic achievement, as demonstrated by students ’ high-school grades in college-preparatory subjects. This view reflects an older, reward-and-incentive philosophy of college admissions. Admission to college is seen as a reward for hard work and achievement in high school. Rewarding achievement not only assures colleges of a high-quality student body, in this view, but also has a broader incentive effect on K-12 education, encouraging schools to offer and students to take a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum. The alternative view is that students should be judged not simply on what they have learned, but on their ability to learn. The idea that students can and should be judged on ability is closely associated with the