Should taking the SAT to get into college be optional?
A new report released Wednesday and endorsed by more than 80 colleges and universities nationwide is recommending some stunning changes in the application process, including possibly making standardized testing optional or lessening its importance.
'I do believe that most students stress out over their SAT scores much more than they need to,' Stu Schmill, the dean of admissions at MIT, told Matt Lauer on TODAY.
The hope is to level the field in admissions to provide more opportunities to a broader group of students and make it less about grades, test scores and a laundry list of extracurriculars.
'I think our students are just doing too much,'' said Schmill, who has endorsed the report. 'They feel like they have to do too much, and they really don't. We want to send this message that they can pull back on that a little bit.'
The report, sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, aims to reform the admissions process to dial down the pressure on high school students. Any changes that could take effect may not be in place for two to three years.
The report suggests the following changes:
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