To test or not to test? That is the question plaguing university leaders across the country, and nowhere is the debate raging more fiercely these days than at the University of California.
We’re talking about the SAT and ACT, of course, and whether those standardized tests should still be used to judge applicants for college admission. In a perfect world, the question would hinge solely on whether they help predict who will thrive at university.
But in our wildly imperfect, deeply polarized world, the tests have become a flash point in the seemingly endless fight between red and blue America. On one side there’s the “meritocracy” crowd, who argue that the quality of education varies so widely at high schools that we need one standardized measure to fairly judge students from diverse backgrounds.
On the other side is the “equality” crowd, who argue that standardized tests favor rich kids whose families can afford private tutors and expensive prep courses, giving them yet another unfair advantage in life.
Educators caught in the middle
Feelings are pretty passionate on both sides. Pity the poor educators in between, trying to make good decisions.
“I know it sounds dramatic, but there’s a bit of a war going on,” said my colleague Jaweed Kaleem, who covers higher education. “So many thorny issues feed into this: race, class, politics.”
The ditch-the-tests chorus had been gathering momentum for decades by the time COVID-19 struck, when it became a legitimate health hazard to fill a gymnasium with anxious, hyperventilating test takers. That, combined with the broader national reckoning on race and equality, was enough to convince universities across the country to stop requiring the standardized tests for admission.
The kumbaya moment didn’t last long. A few years later, professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology noticed many of the new students were bad at math — a serious problem at arguably the nation’s premiere science university.
More specifically, they found that high school GPAs were not a great predictor of how well students would do in math and science classes, at least in part, because of grade inflation. When seemingly anyone who shows up to class and does their homework gets an A, how were they supposed to spot the true math whizzes?
They decided they had no choice but to start requiring applicants to submit test scores again.
Some of the nation’s most elite schools go back to testing
Other elite schools quickly followed. Currently, six of the eight Ivy League universities have gone back to requiring tests and the two holdouts — Princeton and Columbia — announced they’ll be reinstating the requirement for the 2027-28 academic year.
Stanford and Caltech have reinstated the tests, too.
Which brings us to UC, an institution that prides itself on being as selective as any in the country, but also has a well-earned reputation for a faculty that leans left.
Pedestrians stroll through campus at Caltech in Pasadena.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
So, when more than 3,000 of their professors — mostly math and science teachers — recently signed a letter calling for the return of the SAT, everyone took notice.
Administrators have resisted pressure to make a quick decision, instead promising to study the issue and come up with a plan by next summer. But critics are already accusing them of caving to anti-DEI forces on the political right.
Mark Rosenbaum, who successfully sued UC years ago claiming standardized tests discriminate against disabled and non-white students, told Kaleem that “the UC system may well be knuckling under to Trump.”
A terrible student aces a standardized test
It’s too soon to say where UC will end up, but like so many other issues in these charged times, where you land may depend on personal history.
In junior high, I was a terrible, disruptive student who led the school in detentions. At home, I was being raised by a chronically depressed, working-class mom and an even more depressed, perennially unemployed stepfather. Three of my four stepsiblings barely finished high school, if at all. Two died young from addiction; the other is homeless.
I was on a dangerous path until I got an almost-perfect score on a standardized test required of all eighth graders in Missouri. Stunned, my teachers dragged me into the principal’s office (again!) and just stared at me for a while. Then they began a very patient, very persistent campaign to help me.
A high score on the SAT got me into a pretty good college and an even higher score on the GRE got me into one of the most respected grad schools in the country.
Obviously, one person’s story doesn’t settle the question, but it tells you this: Not everyone who benefits from those tests is a spoiled rich kid.
Top stories
A dog plays in the sand in Long Beach as heavy equipment operators construct berms to protect homes on the Long Beach peninsula ahead of anticipated strong surf.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Hurricanes Polo and Odalys are coming
- They are not expected to make landfall in California, but forecasters say they could stir up rough seas and send swells toward the California coast, which already has been battered by big waves this summer.
- The weather could start to change for the region as early as Sunday, but the hurricanes’ effects are most likely to be noticeable Monday and Tuesday.
‘Unlawful’ ballot seizure
Trump’s trade war with Canada
- With the election less than six weeks away, Republicans are facing an increasingly bleak outlook, as new polls this week showed voters favoring Democrats by as much as 12 points.
- The escalating beef with Canada stands to heighten voters’ economic worries and add to the GOP’s political challenge in dead-heat races, analysts said.
More news
Commentary and opinion
- “A Different World” is back with a delightful new class. Television critic Robert Lloyd says you’ll want to sit in.
- A decade after the leaked “Access Hollywood” tape, Billy Bush joins Fox News. News and culture critic Lorraine Ali asks, what took so long?
Editor’s pick
More picks
Things to do
Chef Marcus Jernmark in the dining room at his Beverly Hills restaurant, Lielle, one of Los Angeles’ most exciting fine-dining debuts.
(Catherine Dzilenski / For the Times)
Today’s recipe
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Looking for a dupe of Erewhon’s Mighty Green soup? Carolynn Carreño made her own version of the greens-packed brothy vegetable soup so she didn’t have to pay $12 for a pint-size serving.
Question for you
What’s a television show that takes place in California that you’d recommend to friends?
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
Photo of the day
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected]. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
