Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission

2007-2008 Testing Commission Roster

Dr. William Fitzsimmons, CHAIR
Harvard University

Philip Ballinger
University of Washington

Joyce Brown
Chicago Public Schools

Dan Davidson
Central Lakes College

Charles Deacon
Georgetown University

Randall Deike
Case Western Reserve University

Bill Dingledine
Educational Directions, Inc.

Rafael Figueroa
Albuquerque Academy

Marybeth Kravets
Deerfield High School

Nicholas Lemann
Henry R. Luce Professor and Dean of the Columbia Journalism School
Author, The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy

Lee Melvin
University of Connecticut

Joyce Vining Morgan
Retired Counselor

Jeff Rickey
Earlham College

Laura Slover
Director, Content and Policy Research, Achieve

Steve Syverson
Lawrence University

Linda Zimring
Los Angeles Unified School District, Local District 1- College Programs

Mary Lee Hoganson, Ex Officio
President, NACAC

Kim Johnston, Ex Officio
NACAC President-Elect

Joyce E. Smith, Ex Officio
CEO
NACAC

David Hawkins, Staff Liaison
NACAC

Commission Resources

Below, please find relevant materials for the NACAC Commission on Standardized Testing.

• College Admission Testing, NACAC White Paper by Rebecca Zwick, PhD., University of California, Santa Barbara.
• Recommendations on the Role of Standardized Testing in College Admission, NACAC policy statement, developed by the previous NACAC commission on standardized testing in 1995. This Commission’s work is not bound by this document, but it is useful for historical purposes.
• Myths & Tradeoffs: The Role of Tests in Undergraduate Admissions. National Research Council, Board on Testing and Assessment report from 1998-99.
• The periodical Diverse Issues in Higher Education ran a story about NACAC’s testing white paper when it was released in February.
• Testing Commission member feedback results
• Achieve’s “Aligned Expectations? A Closer Look at College Admissions and Placement Tests”
• NACAC's Web page on standardized testing
• NACAC's 2006 State of College Admission Report, Chapter 4: Factors in the Admission Process

Members' Recommendations for Background Reading

• Replace the SAT. Article by Stephen Burd. The New America Foundation, October 3, 2007.
• Debate on Ending SAT Gains Ground. Article by Patricia Cohen. The New York Times, September 19, 2007.
• May Be Time to Lose SAT I For College Admissions. Article by Patrick Mattimore. The San Francisco Examiner, September 11, 2007.
• Abolish the SAT. Article by Charles Murray.  The American Magazine, July 13, 2007.
• Secrets of the SAT
  "Why the national obsession with the SAT test? And how fair, reliable and democratic is it?" --A PBS examination of the SAT.
• The Biblioholic's Blog
  The consolations and desolations of the Dean of Admissions at Seattle University