Ideas Worth Testing: Innovation in Character Assessment In College Admission

This document suggests innovative and concrete character assessment ideas, tools, and systems that have strong promise in college admissions work.

Important as it is to explore these innovations, it’s also vital to implement them carefully. In most cases, assessments used for the first time should not be a significant factor in admission decisions. Admissions offices can pilot assessments without stakes attached, examine the value of new information generated by the assessments, and track whether this new data predicts outcomes, such as freshman year grades. Admission offices should also examine potential downsides of these assessments, including biases.

This resource is part of Character Assessment in College Admission Guide. Read more →

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What does the full Character Assessment in College Admission guide include?

• Character Assessment in College Admission Guide Overview

• Definitions of Key Character/Non-Cognitive Terms and Skills for Use in Admission

• The Thrivers Study: A Tool for Understanding the Characteristics of Successful Students

• Character Assessment Readiness: An Audit Tool for College Admission Offices

• Sharing Institutional Values: Examples from College Admission Websites

• Examples of Character-Focused Essay Questions in College Admission

• Examples of Language that Articulate the Importance of Family Responsibilities in College Admission

• Exploring Character through Recommendation Forms: New Ideas for College Admission Leaders

• Ideas Worth Testing: Innovation in Character Assessment In College Admission

• Examples of College Admission Character Assessment Tools

• Deans Commitment Letter

• Character Assessment in High Schools: Recommendations for the College Admission Process and Beyond (for high schools)

• Writing Character-Conscious Letters of Recommendation: Tips for High School Counselors and Teachers (for high schools)

We welcome feedback as you engage with this resource and in this meaningful work. If you develop additional tools or wisdom to share, we hope you will tell us, so that we can share widely and better guide others. Please email collegeadmissions@makingcaringcommon.org to connect with our team.