In a recent study published in the AERA Open journal, the American Educational Research Association highlights the significance of contextualized admissions in achieving equitable and holistic college admissions.
The research suggests that taking into account applicants’ high school grades and standardized test scores while considering their school, neighborhood, and family resources can effectively identify underserved students who have a high likelihood of succeeding in college.
The study reveals that contextualized high school GPAs have a stronger correlation with college success, almost three times more than raw ACT scores.
New research supports holistic admissions
Michael Bastedo, the associate dean for research at the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and one of the study’s co-authors, emphasizes that students from underserved high schools with lower grades and test scores can perform just as well as their peers from well-funded institutions.
The research findings support the argument for holistic review practices that prioritize equity in college admissions.
This research gains renewed importance following the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action, as schools seek legal mechanisms to enhance equity in admissions.
Richard Kahlenberg, a nonresident scholar at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, underscores the potential of contextualized admissions to promote diversity on campuses.
He highlights the strong association between race, neighborhood, and school conditions, emphasizing the potential effectiveness of these practices for colleges aiming to achieve more diverse student bodies.
The study analyzed data from 2.3 million students at public institutions in an undisclosed Midwestern state from 2010 to 2015.
While applying contextualized reviews to actual admissions processes is complex, Bastedo suggests that models like Texas’s top 10 percent plan, which guarantees admission to public universities for the state’s top high school graduates, could serve as templates for holistic admissions strategies.
These strategies aim to mitigate the impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling and ensure fairness in admissions.
Previous attempts at contextualized review practices, such as the SAT adversity score proposal, generated controversy. Critics argued that such scores oversimplified applicants’ experiences.
However, the study encourages institutions to consider more equitable and context-based admissions practices.
James Murphy, deputy director of higher ed policy for Education Reform Now, views these practices as valuable tools to address systemic inequities in college admissions.
While contextualized admissions may not be revolutionary, they offer a promising approach to creating a more equitable admissions process, particularly in light of evolving admission landscapes and the ongoing quest for fairness and equity.
