Prof. Rosinger Discusses Test-Optional Policy and her Research in New Article

02/09/2016

Kelly Rosinger, a post-doc at EdPolicyWorks, has her test-optional research highlighted and discusses this policy with the GW Hatchet.

Test-optional policy adds to dramatic application increase

But the new policy might not necessarily increase diversity for incoming classes. Kelly Rosinger, a researcher at the University of Virginia who co-authored a study on test-optional colleges and universities, said she found that a shift to test-optional did not help low-income or racially diverse students.

She said GW’s increase in applications could be due to the media coverage of its test-optional switch, getting the University’s name out there for prospective students. 

“It’s good publicity for colleges to do this because it’s a positive program, and certainly well-intentioned,” Rosinger said. “It was exciting to see GW take this step, but we found in this study these policies don’t have the intended effect.”