University Of California Faces Lawsuit Over Use Of SAT, ACT Scores In Admissions

A group of students and education advocacy groups have sued the University of California, claiming the removal of standardized tests like SAT and ACT for college admissions, according to The Wall Street Journal reports.

What Happened

A group of students and organizations filed a lawsuit in California state court on Tuesday against the University of California over its use of SAT and ACT scores for college admissions.

The plaintiffs argue that the standardized college entrance tests are biased against low-income students and racial minorities, such as black and Hispanic students.

They want the University to stop requiring SAT or ACT scores for college admissions unless the university administration can assess the ratings “in a rigorous and meaningful, transparent, nondiscriminatory, and non-stigmatizing manner,” says the lawsuit.

Why It Matters

The debate over whether SAT and ACT scores should be used for college admissions is nothing new.

In November, a group of nine community organizations wrote a joint letter to the school’s Board of Regents, urging it to stop using SAT and ACT test scores in college admissions.

Over 1,000 colleges and universities have already made the test scores optional, according to FairTest, one of the advocacy groups against the use of standardized tests.

“It is illegal wealth and race discrimination that damages the futures of tens of thousands of deserving students each year, who could excel at U.C. campuses of their choice,” said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with the nonprofit Public Counsel to The New York Times.

Supporters of the tests, however, argue that the tests help judge students from different backgrounds in a uniform way.

“The notion that the SAT is discriminatory is false,” said a spokesman for the College Board, which manages the SAT process.

“Any objective measure of student achievement will shine a light on inequalities in our education system. Our focus, with our members and partners, is combating these longstanding inequalities,” he added.

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