@plquality . . . so in other words for 2021, there shouldn’t be any place on the UC application to input an SAT and/or an ACT score? What about prospective engineering and CS students? Are you proposing that UC should admit to these programs blind of any ability (inclusive of the SATII’s) to do math and physics?
I realize that there is a pretty good correlation between wealth and scores. But until UC puts something into place that would be a good proxy for the boards that includes evening the playing field for all with respect to wealth, they’ll have to stick with them. The engineering, physical and life sciences, especially, require those who are able to pick up on concepts and ideas that are too complex and difficult for the vast majority of people, even for the rich.
To become a doctor, one is going to have to take the MCAT, which is myriad times harder than the SAT I then take the medical boards after residency which is even more complex than the MCATs. Are you proposing to eliminate these?
And there are ways around having to pay loads of money in preparation of the SAT, but it does take a great amount of dedication. A student can get, say, eight copies of tests, time him- herself in a simulated setting, and try to improve upon his/her scores as he/she progresses through them.
There are books from the public library one can pick up to improve one’s score on SAT/ACT preparation.
There are patterns to the math problems, that are similar from test to test, which can learned.
Doing well on the EBRW portion of the SAT is dependent on an ability to read and comprehend material, so one has to practice writing and to be someone who reads.
Because of these, there have been many self-driven students who didn’t have the funds to pay for an expense prep course who scored really well on their own by putting these into practice.
Furthermore, UC has found and interpolated from the data, that grades would decline and time to graduate would approach six to seven years if the boards were eliminated, including a large increase in those dropping out. Every student who drops out is at a great cost to the state.
Honestly, I don’t see a way to eliminate standardized testing.