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Page 1: Holistic Admissions
Page 2: Holistic Admissions

Developing a Holistic Admissions Developing a Holistic Admissions StrategyStrategy

Page 3: Holistic Admissions

First We Need to Define!

• Holistic – Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts; Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts.

The American Heritage Dictionary - 2000

Page 4: Holistic Admissions

Defining Holistic AdmissionsDefining Holistic Admissions

Holistic Admissions:1) The use of all available information for the

purposes of making informed and responsible admissions, advising and placement decisions;

2) Recognition of the importance and value of all information and data available to admissions professionals, and their interdependence on each

other, in informing recruitment, admissions, advising, placement and retention strategies

Page 5: Holistic Admissions

Holistic AdmissionsHolistic Admissions

• Holistic Admissions requires:• The use of all available data and information• A more responsible application review process• Admissions Officers have the final decision

making power for student admissions• More than just admissions (advising, placement,

retention, student support services – i.e. Enrollment Management)

Page 6: Holistic Admissions

What is Holistic Admissions

Holistic Admissions• High School GPA• High School Coursework (Core, AP/IB, etc.)• ACT/SAT Scores• Essay• Family income • Identifying first generation students• 89.4% of colleges consider standardized tests as moderate

to considerate of importance in the admissions decision*• Overall goal: Use all information possible to help make Overall goal: Use all information possible to help make

an informed admission decisionan informed admission decision*NACAC State of College

Admissions Report 2008

Page 7: Holistic Admissions

Why Holistic Admissions?

• Use of all information gives admissions professionals the ‘whole picture’ of student’s:– abilities– readiness – interests – needs

…and whether the college/university has the services/opportunities available to ensure greater likelihood of success for each and every student

Page 8: Holistic Admissions

ACT is Part of Holistic AdmissionsACT is Part of Holistic Admissions

• ACT compliments a Holistic Admissions Strategy• Cognitive and non-cognitive data gives

admissions/enrollment professionals a more robust understanding of a student’s abilities, needs, college readiness

• Research-based data adds further credibility to the admissions process

• ACT supports and informs every aspect of the enrollment management strategic process

• ACT is a piece of the puzzle, and not the puzzle itself

Page 9: Holistic Admissions

Skills vs. ScoresSkills vs. Scores

• Skills vs. Scores– Scores are not the ‘end game’

• College Readiness Standards

• College Readiness Benchmarks

Page 10: Holistic Admissions

• College Readiness Standards– Empirically derived– Narrative Description of what students need to

know and be able to do– Reflect a Common Continuum of Achievement– Progressive Model of Student Progress from

Middle to High School– Reflect Student Strengths/Weaknesses– Evaluate Student Readiness for Next Levels of

Learning

Skills vs. ScoresSkills vs. Scores

Page 11: Holistic Admissions

• College Readiness Benchmarks Subject Benchmark Score

English 18

Mathematics 22

Reading 21

Science 24

Students meeting or exceeding College Readiness Benchmark Scores have a 75% chance of receiving a ‘C’ or better in the corresponding first year credit-bearing postsecondary course, or a 50% chance of receiving a ‘B’ or better.

Skills vs. ScoresSkills vs. Scores

Page 12: Holistic Admissions

• Cognitive Data– Provides a strong compliment to a holistic

admissions process– Informs administrators and educators as to

student proficiency in core subject areas– Impacts a data-driven admissions strategy

Skills vs. ScoresSkills vs. Scores

Page 13: Holistic Admissions

• Cognitive Data– Informs more effective and data-driven

advising, placement and retention strategies– Provides greater insight as to student

academic strengths and weaknesses, and informs student support services in being more effective in student interventions

Skills vs. ScoresSkills vs. Scores

Page 14: Holistic Admissions

Non-Cognitive Data

• ACT collects over 200 points of data related to non-cognitive information provided by the student themselves:– School Type/Size– School Choice– Academic and Non-Academic Needs– Extracurricular Interests– Degree/Program Interest– Career Interests

Page 15: Holistic Admissions

ACT and Holistic Admissions

• Cognitive and Non-Cognitive data from ACT provide a more in-depth view of student proficiency and needs

• Perfectly compliments and adds to an effective holistic admissions strategy

• Provides supporting information for a true Enrollment Management System (Admissions, Advising and Placement, Retention)

Page 16: Holistic Admissions

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 17: Holistic Admissions

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Review:

Holistic Admissions provides institutions with:• Full compliment of data to make an informed and

responsible decision in several areas:– Admissions– Advising– Placement– Student Support Services– Retention

Page 18: Holistic Admissions

Holistic Admissions:• Informs institutions on how to effectively:

– Admit students– Provide meaningful academic and non-academic support to

students– Place students and their best interests at the center of the

process• Strengthens student support services and therefore student

access and success initiatives

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 19: Holistic Admissions

Test Optional initiatives – while promoting a more holistic approach – may limit holistic practices by:

• Decreasing access to all data for informed enrollment management decisions

• Removing the ‘true’ definition of ‘holistic admissions’• Requiring institutions to make decisions based on fewer facts• Suppressing data that can assist in effective and informed

intervention and student support services activities/initiatives that:– Increase student access to higher education– Promote retention, persistence to degree and success in

postsecondary education

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 20: Holistic Admissions

A Recent article suggests that test optional decision policies maybe made due to several factors :

• “Evidence suggests there are also marketing and competitive issues at play”

• “Schools are saying we want to count your test scores when we like your test scores”

• “Colleges making the switch usually see an immediate 10% to 20% application bump; the bigger pile of rejection letters could give the illusion that the college is more selective”

• “reported average test scores…increased in recent years…because colleges are not plugging in the results of freshmen who do not submit scores”

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

New York Times“The Other Side of ‘Test Optional’”July 26, 2009

Page 21: Holistic Admissions

NACAC Journal of College Admission

Summer 2009

“How can an ethical institution that distrusts the (test) validity or perceives it to be biased continue to evaluate any applicants using the test?”

“How can scores be meaningful in evaluating a student’s abilities when they are submitted, but irrelevant when they are withheld?”

“..results suggest that despite the proud statements of some adopters, (test) optional admission policies are more than purely a philosophical stance.”

“results imply that 31 of the 32 institutions (top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges in US News that are Test Optional) in question are the beneficiaries of (test score) average boosts.”

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 22: Holistic Admissions

• Problems– “Game the system”– Lack of information to provide students with proper

services and support– Hinge on incomplete information to make important

admissions, advising, placement and retention/persistence decisions

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 23: Holistic Admissions

• Issues: #1

– HS GPA alone in informing effective admissions, placement and advising practices• In last ten years:

– 400% increase in students reporting a 4.0 GPA*– Only a 24% increase in student population over same

period

– Grade Inflation and Informed and Responsible Admissions• From 1991 – 2003:

– grade inflation rose 6.5%**– ACT scores rose by less than 1% (20.6 to 20.8)

* ACT Research, 2008**High School Grade Inflation from 1991 to

2003Ziomek and Woodruff2004

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 24: Holistic Admissions

• Issues: #2– High School GPA as best predictor of Postsecondary

Success in Year 1• GPA vs. ACT and HS GPA combined

– For students with 2.0 GPA or higher: » Accuracy rate for HS GPA on college success is: 76%» Accuracy rate for ACT on college success is: 76%» Accuracy rate for HS GPA and ACT combined on

college success is: 79%» Example: School of 1,000 students would increase their ability

to predict postsecondary success by an additional 3 out of every 100 students (total of 30 students)

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Predicting Different Levels of Academic Successin College Using High School GPA andACT Composite ScoreNoble and Sawyer2002

Page 25: Holistic Admissions

• Issues: #2 (continued)– The further GPA’s increase, the less predictive HS

GPA becomes compared to the ACT (and ACT + HS GPA) :

• High School GPA as best predictor of Postsecondary Success in Year 1

– GPA vs. ACT and HS GPA combined– For students with 3.50 GPA or higher:

» Accuracy rate for HS GPA on college success is: 83%» Accuracy rate for ACT on college success is: 84%» Accuracy rate for HS GPA and ACT combined on

college success is: 86%

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Predicting Different Levels of Academic Successin College Using High School GPA andACT Composite ScoreNoble and Sawyer2002

Page 26: Holistic Admissions

• Issues: #3– Importance in Promoting Retention and

Persistence• Via ACT’s IDQ – schools self identifying as test

optional on average have a 4% lower retention rate than those institutions who are not

• The two most important strategies in retention, as identified by postsecondary institutions via preliminary results from the 2009 ACT Retention Study, are mandated assessments and course placement.

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 27: Holistic Admissions

• Issues: #4– Access and Success for All Students

• Perception is that testing limits student access• Reality is it:

» Opens discussion and understanding of student proficiencies and aspirations

» Also provides valuable information for guidance and college counseling purposes

» Provides valuable information as part of a holistic admissions process

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 28: Holistic Admissions

• What works:– Use of all available data– Data informs effective and student centered

strategies in:• Admissions• Advising and Placement• Retention and Persistence• Predictive Modeling

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 29: Holistic Admissions

• Avoid:– Limited or Purposeful lack of data – Not fully informed student support services

process and or strategies– Misinformed marketing practices to

students and families based on selected data rather than all data

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use

Page 30: Holistic Admissions

• Holistic admissions and Test Optional policy may be exclusive

• Both practices are not one in the same

Holistic Admissions and Test UseHolistic Admissions and Test Use