This summer, high school students will sit in the Armory ready with their No. 2 pencils to take a test often required to get into the college of their choice, either the ACT or the SAT.

The scores earned on these tests can determine whether a student is admitted into college and whether students can get scholarships if they do get admitted.

Phil Caffrey, associate director of admissions, said all three Iowa regent universities admit in-state students in the top half of their class, regardless of what their test scores are.

If students are in the bottom half of their class, they have to a have a certain ACT or SAT I score depending on what percentage of the class they are in.

“Really, class rank is the primary criteria we look at,” Caffrey said. “That test score really doesn’t play a role if the students are in the upper half of their class.”

He said he sees disadvantages to the standardized tests.

“I’m always hesitant to put a lot of emphasis on a test a student might spend three hours on on a Saturday,” he said.

However, the test can have more of an impact on students who are not Iowa residents.

Caffrey said out-of-state students with low test scores in the top half of their class will not necessarily be admitted to Iowa State.

Richard Atkinson, president of the University of California, proposed eliminating to the Academic Senate of the University of California, in a lecture he gave to the American Council on Education in February.

In other parts of the nation, some university officials have proposed eliminating the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) from admissions requirements.

One of the main critics is Richard Atkinson, president of the University of California, who said although he is still a supporter of standardized tests, he believes there is an overemphasis on them.

In an American Council on Education lecture, Atkinson said teachers and parents have to go too far in preparing students for the test. Another of Atkinson’s criticisms is that the tests are unfair to minorities.

Rafael Rodriguez, director of Minority Student Affairs at Iowa State, said though he is not directly involved in the admissions process, he has read research that there is a bias in the test makeup and the scoring.

Rodriguez said it is more important for universities to look into high school background and that universities should not base admissions requirements entirely on the ACT or SAT.

“A lot of admissions folks will swear to it that it’s an indicator of success,” he said. “I don’t hold that to be entirely true. It’s a tiny piece, an inkling, much like economic background is. The test is one of many factors that can contribute or not contribute to a student’s success.”

Caffrey said standardized tests do have some advantages. For example, he said, if two high schools in the same city are perceived to have different grading criteria, it is harder to compare them by class rank.

“[The standardized test] factors out all of that stuff,” he said. “It puts everybody on equal footing.”

Even though the test scores are not used as heavily in ISU admissions, Caffrey said the scores are used for other purposes, such as awarding scholarships.

“ACT and SAT scores are factored very heavily in awarding freshman scholarships,” he said. “Those scores are looked at very closely.”

Caffrey said he has not seen evidence of a trend of colleges and universities discontinuing use of the SAT and ACT.

“[Atkinson’s proposal] is really the first evidence I’ve see of colleges trying to eliminate those tests,” he said.

Caffrey doesn’t see either test being dropped from ISU admissions requirements any time soon.

“I don’t foresee Iowa State not requiring an ACT or SAT,” he said. “We’re not an institution that turns away the majority of its applicants. The test scores are not really used to keep students out of the university.”