February 24, 2001

University of California president Richard

University of California president Richard Atkinson decided this week to jetison the SAT for admission purposes. He said SAT results "can have devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students," and that the test is "perceived as unfair." Instead, he wants a more "holistic" approach to finding UC freshmen.

Thomas Sowell sees this as "quotas through the back door." He writes, "In short, inconvenient academic criteria were being gotten rid of, so that group quotas could continue in new disguises. That is precisely what getting rid of standardized academic tests is all about."

With all its flaws, the SAT does inject some objective criteria into the admissions process. Without standardized tests admissions would be completely at the subjective discression of Leftist university administrations continuing their fight for "social justice" through racial discrimination.

"Back Door Quotas" [via Reductio]