Reply to NEWS: UC schools are dropping SAT requirement for class of 2021

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]But back to a key question from a prior post.  Does anyone actually KNOW how test-optional colleges have been operating, or whether the UC system is going to operate differently?  Is there any data out there?

By the way, Harvard actually lost its lawsuit after depositions were taken, although the case is on appeal.  The people who sued emphasized the zero-sum theory of college admissions.  If you act affirmatively in favor of one group, the argument goes, you are implicitly acting against other groups.  Favoring athletes discriminates against non-athletes.  Favoring legacies discriminates against non-legacies.   Favoring underrepresented minorities discriminates against Caucasians and Asians.  That's the argument.

In my opinion, and Harvard's, that kind of favoritism is not the same as "discrimination" toward any particular group, especially in the context of affirmative action.  It's just a recognition that diversity within the school is good for the school and for society.  Also, there are populations that tend to do well once admitted, and also do well after graduation, even though they don't do all as well on standardized tests.  For this reason, many people are suspicious of standardized tests even though they do not discriminate in the traditional sense, in that the graders at the College Board don't know the race of any particular test taker.  But the system as a whole can seem discriminatory, especially if the tests are accurate predictors for many students but not students from all groups.[/quote]
My understanding is that the data out there is not that helpful, though test optional colleges obviously claim that it works.

And from a certain vantage point, perhaps test optional does work, in the sense that they feel they've been able to ferret out the students you mention, whose potential may not be reflected in a test score for various reasons.  My doubt would be that they're able to ferret out the potential in all students across the board in the absence of test scores.  In other words, it's a case by case thing.

GPAs come with their own set of issues at least insofar as distinguishing within the range of, say, 3.3-3.8, essentially the difference between a B+ and an A-.  And there may be students for whom GPA is less predictive than test scores, for a whole other set of various reasons.  At least, with holistic review, there's a chance for them too.

UCs posted their recent study: https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/underreview/sttf-report.pdf and statement from the faction wanting to eliminate them https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/underreview/additional-statement-sttf-report-feb20.pdf[/quote]

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