Most colleges are considering applicants' high school disciplinary records, even without formal policies on what role these records should play in admissions decisions, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Community Alternatives.
A draft report accompanying the survey builds on the center's work questioning whether colleges are too quick to rule out qualified applicants because of something they did in their high school years that may be irrelevant to their chances of academic success.
"In the absence of data that show how many students are accepted or rejected once they disclose a disciplinary record, it is not enough for college admissions counselors to offer assurances that a school disciplinary record is not likely to impede admission to college," says the report draft. "Moreover, vague assurances will do little to assuage the fears of students who are the most vulnerable to school suspension -- poor students of color, whose life experiences have subjected them to exclusion in many social domains."
The center's survey of colleges was drafted in conjunction with two groups that represent admissions leaders and encouraged participation in the survey -- the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/26/report-questions-why-colleges-consider-high-school-disciplinary-records