Texas scales back bill that would have required SAT, ACT in public college admissions

Most of Texas’ public faculties aren’t requiring college students to ship SAT or ACT scores for admissions in the intervening time, a coverage known as test-optional that gained nationwide reputation amid the pandemic.

However Texas lawmakers pushed again on this idea earlier this yr, proposing a bill that will have compelled public faculties to think about standardized check scores in undergraduate and graduate admissions choices. Then final month, they scaled again the invoice, which might now solely require public establishments to evaluation scores if an undergraduate applicant chooses to submit them. 

The modifications got here after state officers expressed issues a testing decree might drawback traditionally underrepresented college students. The talk over the usefulness of standardized assessments and whether or not they’re prejudicial instruments has ratcheted up over the previous few years, matching a racial reckoning throughout industries within the wake of George Floyd’s killing in 2020.

Underneath Texas’ new proposal, the state’s public faculties would nonetheless be mandated to think about check scores for graduate applications, although exams couldn’t be “the first criterion to finish consideration” of their purposes. 

The Texas Senate on Wednesday permitted the present iteration of the proposal, passing it to the Home of Representatives. This yr’s state legislative session ends Could 29. 

What are the issues?

The invoice’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, stated that a few of her constituents who’re minorities instructed her they have been involved concerning the continued pause on testing mandates, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

She stated they apprehensive their youngsters have been excelling on the exams “and but it is not even being thought of.”

Nonetheless, a test-optional coverage doesn’t prohibit an applicant from sending in a rating. Most faculties that switched up their admissions guidelines in the course of the coronavirus disaster didn’t ban consideration of checks altogether, in what’s known as being test-free or test-blind. 

Faculties began to flip to test-optional insurance policies in 2020, when COVID-19’s unfold shut down frequent examination websites like Ok-12 colleges. 

Now, greater than 1,800 faculties are usually not requiring entrance exams for fall 2023, according to FairTest, a company advocating for restricted use of standardized assessments. Of these, solely 80 or so are test-free, based on the group. 

Check-optional critics usually elevate issues much like these Kolkhorst cited — that the exams’ diminished position in admissions will drawback college students with poor grades, stopping them from shining after they do properly on standardized checks.

Examination suppliers just like the School Board, which administers the SAT, additionally keep their merchandise can hyperlink traditionally marginalized college students who carry out properly on the examination with scholarship alternatives.

Nonetheless, testing opponents argue the alternative: that the SAT and ACT favors rich college students who can afford in depth tutoring, thus limiting alternatives for his or her low-income and different marginalized friends.

Harrison Keller, Texas’ greater training commissioner, made this level earlier than the invoice was modified, saying its testing directive might harm low-income candidates, according to the Statesman.

FairTest additionally opposes the invoice. Its public training director, Bob Schaeffer, stated in an e-mail the group has not noticed “flaws within the present system that the proposal would appropriate.”

Underneath Texas legislation, public faculties should robotically admit in-state college students within the high 10% of their highschool lessons, although for College of Texas-Austin, it’s the highest 6%. The invoice would apply to these college students who don’t acquire computerized admission. 

UT-Austin, one in every of Texas’ flagship establishments,  announced this week it will not mandate admissions examination scores for fall 2024, although it inspired college students to submit them.

Different public faculties, just like the distinguished Texas Tech College, have prolonged their test-optional pilots longer — Texas Tech’s runs by fall 2025.

Representatives from each establishments didn’t reply to requests for remark Wednesday.