Dropping SAT Is No Cure for Latinos’ UC Problem

Remedies need to be developed to counter a predicted decline in Latino enrollment in the University of California system in the wake of Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action in public university admissions and state hiring and contracting. But dropping the Scholastic Assessment Test as a UC admission requirement is the wrong cure.

A recommendation to make the SAT optional originated with the UC Latino Eligibility Task Force, which is chaired by Eugene Garcia, dean of the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley. The panel projects that continued use of the SAT, which some critics view as culturally biased against certain minorities, women and the poor, could result in a reduction of up to 70% in the number of Latino students who enroll at UCLA and UC Berkeley, the system’s most selective campuses. This drop would come even as Latino enrollment in California public schools continued to increase.

Latino SAT scores tend to lag because many public schools--especially in poor, minority communities--do not offer adequate advanced courses and poorly prepare students to do university work. In poorer neighborhoods, families usually cannot afford SAT preparation courses, which cost hundreds of dollars. In addition, some immigrant families may value work over higher education and some face language barriers.

The UC task force, commendably seeking solutions, recommended substituting the end-of-course Golden State Examination, now taken by high school seniors seeking honors, or simply depending on grades as the primary criterion for admissions. But no matter how well-intentioned, a grades-only policy would lead to even greater grade inflation, which is already a problem at American high schools. An A at a competitive, high-quality school is also not the same as an A at a low-performing school. And the Golden State Exams test single-subject achievement and are not standardized. A broad, objective measure like the SAT is needed to compare applicants with similar grade point averages. While reliance on the SAT could be relaxed--it currently counts for 50% of admissions decisions at UC Berkeley--the test should not be dropped while a national debate on testing and educational standards gains steam and as California mandates new standardized tests to measure K-12 learning.

Under other potential remedies, UC would admit the valedictorian from each California high school, or the top 6% or even the top 12.5% of each high school’s graduating class. Texas plans to admit the top 10% next fall to circumvent a court decision against affirmative action. These ideas are worth exploring, but all high schools are not equal. Therein lies the tougher issue for the university, the state and local school districts: how to improve poor schools.

UC can both retain the SAT and retain minority enrollment by expanding its outreach efforts, taking steps to improve faltering public schools and boosting the transfer rate from community colleges. Latino students, along with other underrepresented groups, need every opportunity to be challenged and to succeed--in public school classrooms, on the SAT and at the University of California.