California System May Go Test-Blind

The Washington Post: "University of California President Janet Napolitano is urging a suspension of admission testing requirements until 2024, setting up a showdown vote this month for the system’s governing board on the role of the SAT and ACT in the process of choosing a freshman class. The outcome is likely to reverberate nationwide because of the size and prestige of the UC system, which has undergraduate campuses in Berkeley, Los Angeles and seven other locations in the Golden State. In recent weeks, many public and private colleges have joined a movement to halt or end testing requirements. Some were spurred by the education crisis created by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Others said test scores were not as useful as grades and transcripts in rating applicants." "Under test-optional procedures, applicants can submit a score if they think it will help them. Napolitano also urged a more sweeping mandate to omit the SAT and ACT entirely from admission decisions in 2023 and 2024 for any student who attends a public or private high school in California. The language of the memo appears to indicate that this two-year “test blind” proposal would not apply to out-of-state applicants." "Napolitano also urged the board to jettison UC’s requirement for applicants to take a version of the admission tests that includes an essay exam. Most competitive schools have already dropped that mandate. The optional essay, which was introduced years ago with vocal support from UC, is a major chore for students who take either test. But it appears to be falling out of favor."