Hold your SAT/ACT horses!!

Get ready for this:

The Dean of Financial Aid at Harvard University is calling for an end to the reliance of colleges and universities on SAT and ACT scores to determine admissions. With the recent revision of the SAT and the current focus on increasing these scores, Dean William Fitzsimmons may seem a little left of center to say the least.

There are more people like him, though.

A recent study completed by Fitzsimmons' committee found that there is a subconscious belief that the scores achieved on the SAT/ACT somehow indicate an individual's worth. While a handy tool for the admitting party, the emotional effects on students, especially those in undeserved areas, can be harmful. The committee argues that the use of SAT and ACT scores to determine the acceptance of students of low income, single parent, and uneducated families, is inherently biased.

In order to improve the decision process, Fitzsimmons and his colleagues call for new achievement tests administered in class that would “encourage high schools to broaden and improve curricula." Ideally, the committee recommends that colleges and universities make the SAT and ACT "optional" for applicants.

While the committee waits for responses from the academic community, read more about their findings here.