New York Times calls University of California’s ‘test-blind’ admissions policy a ‘terrible’ mistake

More than six years after the University of California system’s Board of Regents moved to stop using standardized test scores in undergraduate admissions, The New York Times Editorial Board is urging the UC system to reverse course.

In an editorial published Monday, the paper’s editorial board called the UC system’s decision a “terrible” mistake that left students less prepared for their college coursework. The editorial comes just days before the UC Board of Regents is expected to consider revisiting the policy.

The UC system in 2019 put together the Standardized Testing Task Force (STTF), an 18-member committee comprised of professors from across all 10 campuses. The committee was tasked with studying how the UC system used standardized testing scores in its undergraduate admissions. Around a year later, the group released a 225-page report with its findings and recommendations.

“The STTF found that standardized test scores aid in predicting important aspects of student success, including undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), retention, and completion,” the group’s report read.

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Despite the group’s conclusion that the scores played a key role in predicting student performance, the UC system voted in 2020 to no longer consider them, instead opting for a “test blind” approach. This meant that schools in the UC system would not accept test scores, even from students who wanted to send them. The decision came as the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The paper’s editorial board said the results of the “test-blind” approach “have been terrible,” noting that last year a faculty group at UC San Diego reported a sharp drop in academic preparation for new students.

“Last fall, for example, nearly 12 percent of first-year U.C.S.D. undergraduates were not qualified to take pre-calculus, a low-level class, up from only 0.5 percent in 2020,” the Times Editorial Board added.

The Times acknowledged that broader education challenges have emerged, such as artificial intelligence, COVID-19 school closures and smartphone distractions, but argued that the decline in preparedness among entering UC students was “larger than the regression elsewhere.” The paper said that this underscored the role of the UC system’s test-blind policy.

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In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, a spokesperson for UC pointed to a statement made by UC’s Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu.

“Academic preparedness and student success are significant priorities at the University of California. That’s why the UC faculty Academic Senate is engaged in a comprehensive, data-driven review of how to best assess college readiness and support student success at UC,” Palazoglu’s statement read.

“The review will go well beyond previous work on this subject because much has changed across the education landscape since the UC Board of Regents adopted its test-blind undergraduate admissions policy in 2020. Based on the authority delegated by the Board of Regents, the UC faculty Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) is leading the review of UC’s admissions policies and criteria.”

The editorial comes as UC faculty members call for the return of standardized testing requirements.

Groups of UC faculty members sent two letters urging the university to reverse its test-blind policy. More than 2,300 of UC’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty have signed one letter, while more than 900 UC humanities faculty members signed a similar one.

“Obscuring preparation gaps harms both students individually and the University collectively. It offers the appearance of access while undermining the chance of success,” the letter from the STEM faculty read.

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Despite pleas from professors, the UC system has not moved to reverse its testing policy. Instead, it has decided to form a new committee to review the pros and cons of reinstating the tests.

The Times Editorial Board noted that Janet Napolitano, who served as the university president in 2020 and backed the test blind policy, was in favor of bringing back test scores. She told the paper that the test blind policy was “a worthwhile experiment,” but the results made it “increasingly clear that the experiment needs to be revisited.”

The editorial noted that the UC system was not alone when it moved to no longer consider test scores during the pandemic. However, many schools that made the same choice have since reinstated the requirement. Some have remained test-optional, while others have started requiring scores for admission. The list of schools that require students to submit scores includes Harvard, Brown, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and the California Institute of Technology, among others. The Times noted that both the Naval Academy and West Point require test scores.

The Times Editorial Board also cited Brown University President Christina Paxson, who argued in a letter that standardized test scores were better predictors of academic performance than high school grades. She admitted that there were valid concerns about the tests and that the question of whether the benefits outweighed the drawbacks remained “empirical.”

“The university’s trustees, known as the regents, have the final word. When they next meet, on July 14, they should have the courage to admit they made a mistake six years ago and reverse it,” the Times Editorial Board argued.