UC slams the door on standardized admissions tests, nixing any SAT alternative
They concluded that all standardized tests are "biased".
They claim grades are less biased.
Board Chair Cecilia Estolano called her vote to eliminate SAT and ACT testing requirements one of her proudest moments as a regent.
“We know we’re dealing with generations of educational inequity baked in discrimination, baked in structural impediments to our students,” she said.
List of admission criteria is here: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/freshman/comprehensive-review/ . Bolded are the criteria intended to bias in favor of poor/black/hispanic applicants.
- Academic grade point average in all completed A-G courses, including additional points for completed UC-certified honors courses.
- Number of, content of and performance in academic courses beyond the minimum A-G requirements.
- Number of and performance in UC-approved honors and Advanced Placement courses.
- Identification by UC as being ranked in the top 9 percent of their high school class ("eligible in the local context," or ELC).
- Quality of a student's senior-year program, as measured by the type and number of academic courses in progress or planned.
- Quality of their academic performance relative to the educational opportunities available in their high school.
- Outstanding performance in one or more academic subject areas.
- Outstanding work in one or more special projects in any academic field of study.
- Recent, marked improvement in academic performance, as demonstrated by academic GPA and the quality of coursework completed or in progress.
- Special talents, achievements and awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts, communication or athletic endeavors; special skills, such as demonstrated written and oral proficiency in other languages; special interests, such as intensive study and exploration of other cultures; experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership, such as significant community service or significant participation in student government; or other significant experiences or achievements that demonstrate the student's promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.
- Completion of special projects undertaken in the context of a student's high school curriculum or in conjunction with special school events, projects or programs.
- Academic accomplishments in light of a student's life experiences and special circumstances.
- Location of a student's secondary school and residence.