UC Moves to Drop Required SAT Subject Tests for Admission

The tyranny of testing is about to subside (somewhat) for California students seeking admission to the UC college system.

According to this LA Times article, UC regents this week gave preliminary approval to a controversial change in freshman admission standards that would drop the requirement for two SAT subject exams and make more students eligible for a review of their applications while guaranteeing entry to fewer.

Of course, students wanting in will still have to take the SAT or ACT, and many will also take numerous AP tests prior to applying. But those whose high schools don’t offer college prep courses or who have other reasons for not taking the SAT subject tests will have a better shot at UC admission.

My favorite part of the article:

Mark Rashid, a UC Davis engineering professor who helped write the proposal, criticized the current admissions policy for requiring too many tests. It “places heavier emphasis on jumping through hoops than on academic achievement,” he said.

Exactly. In fact, I use the “jumping through hoops” phrase in my book and emphasize the need to shift from a relentless focus on tests to a more expansive perspective on how students may prepare for college. (TIP: Most of the Bold Schoolers I know are FAR more prepared for–and successful in–college than those on the traditional path, and they got that way without taking ANY standardized tests.)

Tagged as: academic achievement, accessibility, Bold School, college admissions, SAT, SAT subject tests, The New Global Student, UC, University of California