Oregon’s graduating high school students applying to Oregon University System schools beginning in 2005 will face a new proficiency-based admissions standard that will better prepare them for undergraduate coursework.
The standard, part of a program created in 1993 and called the Proficiency-based Admission Standards System, is expected to be completely phased-in by 2005.
The new PASS system will require high school students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in six areas to gain admittance to an OUS school, including visual and performing arts, English, mathematics, science, second languages and social science.
OUS hopes the new program will measure readiness for college admission, better prepare students for undergraduate coursework and decrease the need for remediation in college. Since PASS standards may be met using state and national tests or classroom-based assessments — such as career-related experience or senior projects — the program will give students the chance to show their proficiency beyond their SAT scores and GPA.
Last week, OUS released preliminary results of a study showing that students who perform well on 10th grade benchmark tests are more likely to be successful as college freshmen. The study is significant because students can use the benchmark test to fulfill PASS admission requirements and because OUS plans to link PASS standards with K-12 standards.
Christine Tell, director of the PASS program, said the program is important because students typically don’t know if they are proficient enough for college until they get there.
“OUS is developing proficiency-based admission, which uses what students know and can do instead of seating hours or set amount of classes,” she said. “We should really use the measure that students come out of high school with.”
Even though the PASS system has not yet been fully implemented, the University is encouraging college applicants to include PASS evaluations in their applications, which could give them an advantage in receiving scholarships or being accepted to competitive majors.
University Admissions Director Martha Pitts said if PASS standards prove to be an accurate predictor of how well students will do at the University, it could help admissions officers get a better idea about how well potential students will perform if enrolled.
“Its validity as a predictive measure is unsure,” she said. “It’s a difficult situation to say PASS will predict better (than other tests) because we just don’t know yet.”
Pitts added that University admissions has been using PASS for several years as one possible option to make students qualified for admission. For instance, if a student doesn’t complete four years of English in high school, he or she could use PASS standards to meet the requirement.
OUS spokeswoman Diane Saunders said the State Board of Higher Education’s recent discussions on increased enrollment standards has nothing to do with the PASS program, but that the two could potentially be related if the board ever had to cap enrollment.