My name is Christina Perez. I work as the University Testing Reform Advocate
for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), located in
Cambridge.

I am here to speak against the use of MCAS scores for admission to the
University of Massachusetts and the nine state colleges. There are three
primary reasons why this proposal should not be implemented.
First, MCAS was not designed to be used as an admissions tool. It has not
been validated for this purpose, so its usefulness, accuracy, and fairness
as a predictor of college performance - which is generally what admissions
tests like the SAT are intended for - is completely unproven. Conducting a
validity study to determine if MCAS can be legitimately used for college
admissions will take several years. Using MCAS as an admissions test before
conducting a thorough validity study would be in direct violation of the
National Association for College Admission Counseling's guidelines for
members as articulated in its "Statement of Principles of Good Practice." As
members of NACAC, the University of Massachusetts and state colleges are
required to adhere to these guidelines. Improper use of an admissions exam
could open the door to litigation against the Commonwealth.

Second, the large numbers of African American, Latino, and low-income
students who currently fall below the proposed MCAS admissions score
cut-offs of 240 and 260 will mean that the pathways to higher education,
which are already limited for those students, will be further restricted.
The result will be a student body at Massachusetts public colleges and
universities with less racial and economic diversity. While it is hard to
calculate the exact effects, we can assume that the current level - at
approximately 14% - of otherwise qualified minority students enrolled in the
state's higher education system will drop dramatically.

Third, the low numbers of Massachusetts students who currently meet the
proposed MCAS score cut-offs could result in fewer students qualifying for
admission to the state's public institutions of higher education. This may
lead to a workforce shortage for the Commonwealth. Half of the 1.1 million
new jobs projected for 2005 will require one or more years of college, yet
using MCAS for admissions will likely decrease the numbers of Massachusetts
residents with a college education. Out-of-state residents will fill the
slots of Commonwealth students who didn't meet the MCAS minimums. Now is the
time to expand, not contract, the pool of college-educated Massachusetts
citizens.

One of the stated goals of the Massachusetts System of Public Higher
Education is "to make accessible to the people of the Commonwealth programs
of excellence in higher education." Using MCAS for college admissions will
hinder this goal and impede access to the very students who depend the most
on public higher education.

The example of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester provides a
ready example of why MCAS should not be used in college admissions. On their
10th grade MCAS in 1999, 72% of the students failed the English portion and
71% failed the math portion of MCAS. Yet as seniors this year all of the 154
eligible graduates from Burke High School who applied were accepted to
college based on their academic record over four years of high school. Many
of these students will be attending a local state college or the University
of Massachusetts. If MCAS were part of the admissions process, many of these
students currently preparing to attend college would instead be siphoned out
of the higher education pipeline. Neither the students nor the Commonwealth
would be better off if such policies are implemented.

Thank you for considering my testimony.