SAT Decision Could Bring UC Diversity SAT Decision Could Bring UC Diversity
UC Berkeley To See Limited Effects
by ANDREA O'BRIEN Daily Cal Staff Writer
Wednesday February 21, 2001
Discuss this article in the Daily Cal forums.In the aftermath of the UC president's recommendation to cut the SAT I exam from admissions procedures, the campus is left wondering what practical effect it will have on the university--and the answer may be "not much."
As one of the only UC campuses that already employs a comprehensive and holistic admissions process, UC Berkeley may not see any noticeable consequences if the SAT is taken out of the equation. For the rest of the UC campuses, however, Richard Atkinson's proposal may go a long way toward focusing additional attention on students' extracurricular activities and remarkable achievements.
"In the effect that the UC moves toward a more comprehensive and holistic process, the recommendation could have a significant effect on admissions (processes)," said Michael Cowan, chair of the executive council of the Academic Senate, the statewide faculty governing body for academic policy. Meanwhile, UC Berkeley's top administrators declined yesterday to speculate on how Atkinson's plan would impact the university. In the wake of the 1995 UC Board of Regents decision to ban the use of race preferences in admissions, UC Berkeley was forced to reexamine and revamp its student selection process.
The result was a thorough admissions process that took into account each applicant, with added emphasis on personal achievement. Previously, admissions staff automatically admitted 50 percent of the entering class based solely on test scores and grades, reviewing the rest of the applications more comprehensively.
While the proposal may not radically change how UC Berkeley admits students, it sends a symbolic message that a longstanding cornerstone of higher education may not be as crucial as previously thought, said ASUC Academic Affairs Vice President Jose Luis Lopez. "I think for long-term changes, this can create a Californian educational system that focuses on education, rather than test-taking skills," Lopez said.
Even if the test was made optional, the admissions offices would still be expected to look at all evidence submitted by students, including SAT I scores, but Cowan said they would look at the scores in context with other more qualitative measures of a student's ability. "I'm not going to rule out the value of the SAT, but you want to look at the whole person and what they've done rather than just grades or SAT scores," said Pedro Noguera, a former UC Berkeley education professor who now teaches at Harvard University.
"It's harder with Berkeley, given the large incoming classes, to look at the whole person, and it's more expedient to use test grades, but you miss seeing the whole person, what kind of things they've overcome, what kinds of things they've done." Garnering a variety of responses from educational officials nationwide and on campus, Atkinson's recommendation would make the UC system one of the first state higher education systems in the country to eliminate the use of the SAT I.
"I think Atkinson is absolutely correct in doing this," said Richard Walker, a UC Berkeley geography professor. "There is no good evidence that SATs predict performance in college." By making the SAT I exam optional for applicants to the UC's eight undergraduate campuses, Atkinson's proposal may not only alter how students are admitted, but who is admitted. "It might have the salutary effect of bringing a more diverse group of students," Walker said.
"And now with the language difference between students in California, the SATs have become more pointless, more biased. I think we're better off without them." The SATs have come under fire in recent years, accused of being biased against women and minority students. While Atkinson said his proposal was not solely intended to increase diversity, he added that it would likely do so.
"President Atkinson is reaffirming the university's dedication to diversity," Lopez said. "Most people that have taken even an introduction education course know that there is a correlation between the low performance of minorities on the SAT I and cultural biases, financial biases."
Lopez, whose office is responsible for nominating students to various Academic Senate committees, said the UC Berkeley division of the senate will likely consider the matter as soon as it is placed on the agenda. "I would expect that the student voice of this committee would be in favor of this proposal," he said. A student on the senate admissions committee declined to comment, saying he was advised not to discuss the matter with reporters.
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