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California Defines Testing Down. Ignoring faculty, the UC president wants to drop the SAT and ACT.
Wall Street Journal ^ | May 17, 2020 | WSJ Editorial Board

Posted on 05/18/2020 7:00:10 AM PDT by karpov

As higher education braces for the impact of coronavirus, the nation’s largest university system is poised to undermine the value of its own degrees by dropping admissions testing for political reasons.

Last week University of California President Janet Napolitano released a plan to stop using the SAT and ACT in admissions. The tests would be optional for freshmen applying to enter in 2022 and excluded except in certain circumstances for 2023 and 2024. Ms. Napolitano hopes the university can create its own test for 2025, but even if that’s not possible she wants the tests scrapped entirely from then on.

The math and reading tests have faced escalating attacks from progressives because black and Hispanic students score lower than whites and Asians on average, and one activist group sued the UC late last year. Yet an exhaustive UC faculty senate report, commissioned by Ms. Napolitano and released this year, found the tests aren’t discriminatory and play an important role in protecting educational quality.

Surveying data from tens of thousands of students, the commission found the SAT and ACT “add substantially to UC’s ability to predict student success” beyond high school grades, especially for minority groups. It said UC “does not appear to use standardized test scores in a way that amplifies racial disparities.”

The report found the top obstacle for minority students is not testing but failing to complete required high-school courses. It also suggested that worsening grade inflation, especially at wealthy high schools, makes an objective assessment especially important.

The progressive UC faculty are not indifferent to the prospects of disadvantaged Californians. The committee scrutinized the data for evidence of bias. Yet test gaps reflect differences in levels of preparedness, exacerbated by California’s unaccountable K-12 public schools. Faculty have an interest in ensuring the students they teach are prepared.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: California
KEYWORDS: act; berkeley; college; collegeadmissions; education; napolitano; sat
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Many high schools, including ours, are grading the 2nd semester of this academic year pass/fail (and passing everyone). When high school grades become less informative, standardized testing should play a larger, not a smaller, role in college admissions if the aim is to admit the best qualified students. Clearly it is not.
1 posted on 05/18/2020 7:00:10 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov

2 posted on 05/18/2020 7:01:57 AM PDT by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: karpov

Meanwhile, Chinese students are kicking our ass.


3 posted on 05/18/2020 7:03:15 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: karpov

Madness. Reaping and sowing come to mind. This will not end well.


4 posted on 05/18/2020 7:04:02 AM PDT by InterceptPoint (Ted, you finally endorsed.)
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To: Travis McGee

Refrigerated beer cooler in the back seat? nice option!


5 posted on 05/18/2020 7:05:26 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (#openupstateny)
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To: Travis McGee

We’re there.


6 posted on 05/18/2020 7:08:11 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: karpov

They need people in leadership that are stupid enough to believe in communism.


7 posted on 05/18/2020 7:08:38 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: karpov

It’s becoming like; “If you got the money, we’ll take you”.


8 posted on 05/18/2020 7:08:59 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Extremism.)
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To: TangoLimaSierra

The SAT and ACT were designed to help identify talented students who may not have excelled in HS. Disadvantaged kids.


9 posted on 05/18/2020 7:11:43 AM PDT by Oldexpat (Stand strong VA.)
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To: dfwgator

I passed the TV that someone staying here was watching and some white bread 20 something woman was crying about how blacks make 52 cents on the dollar compared to whites. She was REALLY crying. Dumb b..ch

What followed was a cacophony of curses that were sung like the 3 tenors would sing opera.

Some fat black transgender looking beast was the host.

All of the liberalism and now the dumbing down of students to give lazy, shiftless minorities (and too many white kids) chances they don’t deserve and a worthless degree really irks me.

I made it clear that next time that show is on the TV ends up in the ####ing street.


10 posted on 05/18/2020 7:13:10 AM PDT by dp0622 (Radicals N racists dont point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin to make ends meet)
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To: karpov

> Yet an exhaustive UC faculty senate report, commissioned by Ms. Napolitano and released this year, found the tests aren’t discriminatory and play an important role in protecting educational quality.

They are discriminatory - that’s their purpose. They discriminate against those who are less well intellectually prepared for college.

Resumes from graduates of any college that doesn’t use them should go straight to the round file.


11 posted on 05/18/2020 7:14:06 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: karpov

Yeah, the faculty will just luv teaching these kids. College will be the new High school (and kind of already is).


12 posted on 05/18/2020 7:14:10 AM PDT by rbg81 (Truth is stranger than fiction)
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To: Oldexpat

Those tests just made private test prep tutors and school recruiters rich.


13 posted on 05/18/2020 7:16:42 AM PDT by cnsmom
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To: rbg81

I agree with you...but I wonder how long you can play this game and charge $75,000 for four years of basic high school stuff at the college level?


14 posted on 05/18/2020 7:17:47 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Travis McGee
Sooo.... Here is the big predictor:

The report found the top obstacle for minority students is not testing but failing to complete required high-school courses. One of the craziest things that happened to me academically was that the second time I took the ACT, most of the questions were based on the same as my Chemistry final exam. I took the tests two weeks apart. All the test did was confirm I mastered some basic concepts.

15 posted on 05/18/2020 7:21:46 AM PDT by PrincessB
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To: karpov

This BS school year for K-12 is going to create a huge dent for next 10 years in kids abilities that they will never catch up, so the only solution is to lower the threshold of what is considered passing.

Then these kids will have to compete with smart kids from China and India for top paying jobs where kids are challenged in school and do not get participation trophies.

I got a step-grand kid who is a smart boy exiting the 6th grade. He is even a grade level ahead. He just lost is advantage. Meanwhile his brother who has a tough time w/ some dislexia (runs in family) in 4th grade, barely meeting threshold is going to get the shaft.


16 posted on 05/18/2020 7:33:44 AM PDT by Jimmy The Snake (Remeber)
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To: karpov

In Los Angeles, over 65% of the High School Graduates can NOT read, write or count above the 3rd grade level, All of them are “Qualified” for College!


17 posted on 05/18/2020 7:35:28 AM PDT by eyeamok
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To: karpov

The best/only chance middle-class kids have of getting into Ivy Leagues is to excel on standardized tests. Otherwise, all the slots will be filled by less capable Biden’s, Clinton’s, Kennedy’s, Lori Loughlin spawn, selected minorities, and their ilk.


18 posted on 05/18/2020 7:37:04 AM PDT by oldplayer
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To: karpov

Too many Asian students? Too few from more favored minorities?


19 posted on 05/18/2020 7:40:24 AM PDT by JustTheTruth
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To: karpov

The more dumbed down Americans are, the better it is for Democrats. Napalatano is a deep state Democrat so this is not a surprising move.


20 posted on 05/18/2020 7:55:58 AM PDT by falcon99 (qu)
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