Pamela Burdman and Christopher Edley Jr. argue in EdSource that admissions tests preserve an inequitable status quo and aren’t a true assessment of college readiness, making them a poor substitute for California’s 11th grade assessments.
Providing all students with the chance to take college admissions tests sounds like a logical way to pull disadvantaged students into the college pipeline.
Unfortunately, the way state lawmakers are moving to do this is a huge mistake that will undermine accountability for excellence and equity. For several years, a number of school districts and others have been pressuring the state to administer the SAT or ACT in lieu of the Smarter Balanced tests in English language arts and math that all 11th graders are expected to take each spring.
Last year, the Legislature actually passed a bill to do just that, but it was vetoed by Gov. Brown. A new bill (AB 751) now moving quickly through the Assembly has brought the idea back into play.
There are so many reasons why this is wrong.
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