Thousands Can Now Skip ACT and SAT Tests

Standardized testing opponents score win in California
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 16, 2021 8:30 AM CDT
California Deals Blow Against Standardized Testing
People wear masks on the University of California campus in Berkeley, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

In a major win for opponents of standardized testing, the University of California public university system will no longer use ACT and SAT scores as part of its admissions process. Per the New York Times, the announcement comes as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed in 2019 by students, advocacy groups, and the Compton Unified School District alleging use of the tests discriminates against applicants based on their race, disability, and economic status. Under the agreement, SAT and ACT scores won't be considered for admission for students applying for entry between fall 2021 and spring 2025, per the AP. However, the scores that are submitted voluntarily can be used for course placement after a student is admitted.

The UC Board of Regents voted last year to drop the SAT and ACT tests as admission requirements through 2024 and eliminate them for California residents after that. Incoming students this fall didn't submit SAT or ACT scores. However, regents had said applicants for fall 2021 and 2022 could submit the scores voluntarily. FairTest, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that is generally opposed to standardized testing, announced last month that more than 1,400 accredited colleges and universities that grant bachelor's degrees won't require students applying for fall 2022 admission to submit test scores. That is more than 60% of the undergraduate institutions in the United States, the group said.

(More standardized testing stories.)

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