Defining Promise: Twenty-Five Years of Optional Testing at Bates College, 1984-2009

William C. Hiss ‘66Executive Director for International Advancement & Lecturer in Asian Studies

Kate M. Doria ’10Bates College, Lewiston, ME

“Diamonds in the Rough: Why Every Institution of Higher Learning Will Want to Attract and Admit Dyslexic Students”

Stanford Graduate School of BusinessStanford University

June 3, 2011

Overview

I. Background

II. Demographics

III. Academic Outcomes

IV. Career & Graduate School Outcomes

V. Learning Differences

VI. Questions & Discussion

Two metaphors to begin:

You know there is a story about this guy who thought he was a chicken. People talked to his relatives, and they said, “Gee, why don’t you get this guy into some counseling or some therapy and try and help him get through this obsession about being a chicken.” And the relatives said, “We would, but we need the eggs.”

Woody Allen in “Annie Hall”

“Now that my barn has burned, I can see the moon.”

Japanese Haiku

3

BACKGROUND 4

Applicants, Admits, and Enrollees at Bates College (students entering 1980-2009)

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Gender in Bates First Year Applicant Pools (students entering 1980-2009)

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Percentage of Underrepresented Minority Students*  (students entering 1980-2009)

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*Federally-reported AHANA categories: African-American, Hispanic, Asian-Pacific Islander and American Indian-Alaska Native

Non-Submitters as Percentage of Entering Class (students entering 1985-2005)

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Percentage of Enrolled Students who are SAT I Non-Submitters but Submit Other Forms of Testing

(students entering 2000-2005)

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DEMOGRAPHICS10

Percentage of Male and Female Students by Submitter Status(students entering 1985-2005)

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Percentage of Ethnicity Categories by Submitter Status(students entering 1985-2005)

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Percentage of Students Offered Financial Aid by Submitter Status(students entering 2000-2005)

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Percentage of Non-Submitters by State(students entering 2000-2005)

ACADEMIC OUTCOMES15

Mean Cumulative GPA for Submitters and Non-Submitters (students entering 1985-2005)

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Mean GPA for SAT I Submitters: 3.16 Mean GPA for SAT I Non-Submitters: 3.11 Mean GPA for SAT I and II Non-Submitters: 3.13

Mean Graduation Rates for Submitters and Non-Submitters (students entering 1990-2005)

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Mean Graduation Rate for SAT I Submitters: 89% Mean Graduation Rate for SAT I Non-Submitters: 89% Mean Graduation Rate for SAT I and II Non-Submitters: 88%

Graduation Rates for Submitters and Non-Submitters by Ethnicity(students entering 1985-2005)

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Mean SAT I Math and Verbal Scores for Submitters and Non-Submitters (student entering 1991-2005)

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Overall Difference between Submitters and SAT I Non-Submitters: 79.56 pointsScore increase over time for Submitters: 53.76 pointsScore increase over time for SAT I Non-Submitters: 72.10 points

Overall Difference between Submitters and SAT I Non-Submitters: 84.86 pointsScore increase over time for Submitters: 35.36 pointsScore increase over time for SAT I Non-Submitters: 36.77 points

SAT I Score and Cumulative GPA for Submitters and Non-Submitters (students entering 1992-2005)

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Distribution of Submitters and Non-Submitters by Academic Division (students entering 1985-2005)

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Distribution of Submitters and Non-Submitters by Major(students entering 1985-2005)

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Corey Harris ’91, D.Mus. ’97, MacArthur “genius award” recipient.

CAREER AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OUTCOMES

Number of Submitters and Non-Submitters by Career Field(students entering 1985-2005)

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Number of Submitters (top) and Non-Submitters (bottom) in Major Career Fields by Gender

(students entering 1985-2005)

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Number of Submitters and Non-Submitters in Selected Occupations(students entering 1985-2005)

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Percentage of Alumni holding Masters and Doctoral Degrees by Submitter Status(students entering 1985-2005)

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Learning Differences

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Mean Cumulative GPA for Submitters and Non-Submitters by Learning Difference Status (students entering 1995-2005)

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LD STUDENTS: SHARE OF CLASS AND GRADUATION RATES

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Percentage of Testers by Test-Taking Condition and SAT Scores for 2009 Testers in Standard and Nonstandard Test-Taking Conditions

31Source: CEEB 2009 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION 32