Chancellor's Response to Coalition's Proposal

Board Of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Office of the Chancellor
270 Washington Street, S.W.
January 20, 1999
Phone (404)656-2202
Fax (404)657-6979

 Dear Mrs. Beverly,

Thank you for your proposal. While your background information was generally accurate, it did contain information and assumptions that are not accurate. However, it is probably not productive—nor does it help our common goal of fair admission practices for home-schoolers—to continue point, counter-points. So I will restrict my response to the proposal itself.

It is time to move on. So I am accepting in principle, your proposal on a pilot basis and with some minor modifications.

Let me respond to each element of your proposal.

Step One. Entry into the Admissions Pool.

SAT I Reasoning Tests will be utilized as you recommend, i.e., home-schooled students must present SAT I scores equal to or above the average of students admitted (freshmen but excluding transfers) in the prior calendar year.

Home-schooled students in the pilot project are to be considered for admission with their age cohorts from public/private high schools, i.e., with those students with whom they would have graduated from high school had they remained in traditional school.

The bedrock of our admissions policy is the completion of the college preparatory curriculum (CPC). We have ample evidence that students who have completed the CPC are better prepared for college. Hence, the System must validate that home-schooled students have taken CPC.

During the pilot period, the System will accept as means of validating the CPC the alternative ways and standards for validating completion that you list: the Iowa Test for Academic Proficiency (ITAP), the California Achievement Test (CAT), or (our preference among the three) the Stanford Achievement Test.

The high school grade point average (HSGPA) required for calculation of the Freshmen Index (FI) for all other students will be waived for home-schooled students.

Step Two. Admittance to an Institution.

Admissions decisions, as you indicate, will be made by individual institutions.

The home-schooled applicant will submit an academic studies report (ASR) organized to parallel the elements of the CPC.

As with all other students, placement tests may be required for proper placement in particular courses.

For home-schooled students the SAT II tests will be required for data collection purposes only, not for admission decisions.

Home-schooled students who wish to do so can request that their SAT II scores be used for admission decisions in highly competitive institutions.

We will identify home-schooled students in our Student Information Reporting System and track their progress, collecting relevant data including the items you list.

Joint and Early Enrollment.

We are in general agreement with the proposal to allow qualified home-schooled students to participate in joint enrollment and early enrollment programs, i.e., entrance criteria will be similar to those used for general admission to USG institutions. We will continue to work with our campuses to iron out the enabling procedures.

As you can see, I am prepared--for the sake of the students--to try your approach, as long as my one non-negotiable item (which you offered as an option anyway) is accepted: the demonstration of CPC equivalent breadth of knowledge. Since this is being required of all other applicants, it is a fairness principle. My other requirement is that home-schooled students take the SAT II tests previously stated on our policy but not for admission purposes. (Indeed, if they choose, they could take them after receiving their admission decision.) I would work with interested legislators to have the expense of those tests covered by other than the students. This is the only way I know to ascertain the validity of various tests, scores, and alternative methods of admission: try both our methods but use only yours in this final period for purposes of admission.

I would propose we implement this immediately for a two-year pilot.

Because I have essentially adopted your proposal, I want to bring this to final resolution immediately. Let’s not quibble. Let’s not continue philosophical debates. Let’s implement and gather a body of data that will forever allow us to make sound and fair policy.

Please notify me by February 1^st if you support what is essentially my acceptance of your proposal, and we will implement it effective March 1^st. If you are unable to accept it, then our current policy will stand, since I don’t think any of us--most of all the students--would profit from extended debates on nuances.

I hope you are pleased with my commitment to high yet fair standards for all Georgia students.

Sincerely,

Stephen Portch
Chancellor
Cc. Sr. Vice Chancellor James Muyskens
Vice Chancellor Barry Fullerton
Professor Dorothy Zinsmeister