New SAT writing section under fire: some IHEs are ignoring the new SAT writing scores.

Of all the nuances of the new SAT, it seems that the writing section, and in particular the essay portion, is garnering the most notoriety. The score, which tests students' ability to write under pressure, a skill that is often utilized in university settings, is being called unfair by at least three IHEs, including Grinnell College (Iowa), Franklin & Marshall College (Pa.), and Georgetown University (D.C.).

"I think it poses great access issues for Low-income students," says Jim Sumner, dean of admissions and financial aid at Grinnell College. Sumner is concerned because a good portion of Grinnell's applicants take only the ACT, which requires a "hefty additional fee" for its writing portion, he says. "If we are going to accept writing scores for the SAT (which has the fee built in) then we must require them for the ACT too."

Sumner says this added fee just makes the college application even more expensive and restrictive. "Why put up another roadblock for Low-income students?" he says. While there is a fee-waiver system in place for these exams, Sumner says, it's "only the more sophisticated families that are aware of these things."

Furthermore, there's concern that needy students will be further disadvantaged by their Lack of access to essay coaches and prep courses, of which their more affluent peers will use to prepare for the exam. "I'm most concerned with this correlation between Low-income students and Low SAT writing scores," says Dennis Trotter, vice president of enrollment management for Franklin & Marshall. "Not all schools have the resources to help these students prepare for this new section. That is why we've always taken the SAT as just a piece of the admissions decision." Franklin & Marshall has made the SAT optional to those students with at Least a 3.6 GPA or those who are in the top 10 percent of their class.

Rather, Trotter says that the college essay in which the students must submit with their application is more important. "We'd rather use that essay as a measurement of their ability. And clearly if the essay is great and the test scores are bad--red flags go up and we'll Look into it."

Aside from the access issue, some are also questioning whether the essay is the best way to assess someone's writing ability. "We really view writing as a discipline. We encourage students to do second and third drafts and really turn in a complex, sophisticated product--not a rushed, overly simplistic one," he says.

Despite the skepticism of the new section, these IHEs say they will take a "wait and see" approach to the writing section. "While we won't count the scores, we will obviously still see them," Trotter says. "Over the next few years, if we find three's a strong correlation between their writing scores and their performance in our academic programs then we may start paying attention to them."