Commentary: The Questions We Should Be Asking About Socially Responsible College Admission Testing

Abstract

While we agree with Koljatic et al. (2021) that the college admission testing industry can and should ensure their products promote educational equity, we do not believe the corporate social responsibility framework for which the authors advocate will assist testing agencies in achieving that aim. Koljatic et al.’s argument for corporate social responsibility in testing is rooted in flawed logic, and the notion of corporate social responsibility itself has unclear and undesirable implications for the testing industry. In this commentary, we offer four examples of the types of questions that test developers, researchers, and policymakers seeking socially responsible uses of admission testing should consider instead. These questions address concerns about test validity, the added value of test scores in the admission process, the burdens tests place on marginalized students, and the perpetuation of historic biases.