Changes to Providence's Admissions Process

By Mr. Scott Turner, Interim Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management

Everything we do at Providence springs from our mission and values. Our work with prospective families must be no different. With this in mind, we will no longer accept the high school placement test (HSPT), or any other entrance exam scores as part of the admissions process. This is not a testing-optional policy but a decision not to accept HSPT or any other standardized entrance exam results. We understand that many of our applicants will be applying to other schools that require the HSPT or other testing. However, we want families to know that, at least for an application to Providence, they need not worry that an absence of scores in their application may negatively affect their child’s chances of admittance.

"We have long had discussions about eliminating entrance exam scores from the admissions process, and now is the perfect time to make that a reality."

We have long had discussions about eliminating entrance exam scores from the admissions process, and now is the perfect time to make that a reality.

Here is why this is the best decision for applicant parents/ guardians and their children:

• High-stakes testing in admissions causes undue stress on students. While a certain amount of stress can be positive, the pressure of applying to schools, taking part in interviews, preparing essays and documents, and attending admissions events is stressful enough for an eighth grade student. The anxiety and fear that many students experience when confronted with an entrance exam can actually do harm, and this runs counter to the mission of Providence High School.

• Students and parents/guardians spend an inordinate amount of time, attention, and money preparing for, asking about, and stressing over an exam that has potentially adverse effects on students, reducing them to numbers. At Providence, we say that a student is not just a GPA. This philosophy needs to extend to prospective students as well. We do not want to play a role in negatively affecting student confidence and self-esteem by asking them to take part in an entrance exam.

• Parents/Guardians and students often feel compelled, if they can afford it, to pay for expensive prep courses, tutors, and study guides. The reality is that many cannot afford it, which may put their children at a disadvantage. We do not wish to play a role in what is essentially a moneymaking enterprise for testing companies that have no regard for systemic inequities.

• The HSPT or other standardized tests are not aligned with the Providence High School curriculum or values. These exams do not accurately predict success in our curriculum. Standardized entrance exams offer little insight into the characteristics that will make a student successful at Providence. They cannot reliably demonstrate a student’s diligence, creativity, character, or intelligence.

So, what are the benefits of not accepting HSPT or other entrance exam scores? The absence of entrance exam scores allows us to be even more creative in the ways we get to know prospective students. Changes to our admissions process will include:

• Re-imagined recommendation forms that enable teachers to more effectively comment on subjectspecific skills as well as student character, work ethic, and interactions with adults and peers.

• Revised short-answer and essay questions on the application that give students the opportunity to tell us who they are.

• An evolving interview process that will get the information we need while also providing an experience for students and parents/guardians to feel what being a part of our community means.

• Expanded opportunities for interested families to meet others in our community, including faculty, staff, students, current parents/guardians, and administrators.

We acknowledge the challenges of getting reliable, honest feedback on teacher and principal recommendation forms and transcripts that truly reflect students’ abilities. This will make the deepening of our relationships with partner school principals and teachers even more vital. This has always been central to our approach as a department and as a school, but now it will become even more important to establish trust with our educational partners so that they feel comfortable offering candid, sincere assessments of student skills, talents, and challenges.