THE CHANGING WORLD OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTS Richard C. Atkinson May 2002 It is obvious that our society is in the midst of rapid change, and that change is particularly evident here in California. An increasing proportion of our population consists of immigrants to California, and that trend holds particularly true among the younger age groups. The state's population today reflects incredible racial and cultural diversity. No other state - and no other country - has the range of races, ethnicities, languages, and cultures that characterize California today. At the same time, there are great differences among our state's high school students in their academic performance and in their preparation for a college education. Given these realities, it behooves the University of California to ensure that our admissions processes are fair to all groups. But fairness is not enough - our admissions processes must also be perceived as fair. With fairness and perceptions of fairness in mind, UC has made a series of significant changes in its undergraduate admissions process. I do not plan today to describe the changes in detail, but the initiatives - Eligibility in the Local Context, Dual Admissions, and Comprehensive Review - are explained fully on my web site, www.ucop.edu. Today, I intend to focus on the changes we have been discussing with respect to the standardized tests we use in admissions. For the sake of simplicity, my remarks will be framed around the SAT test. However, UC also accepts the ACT examination, and we are in discussions with the makers of both the SAT and the ACT about new examinations. In order to talk about admissions tests for UC, I must first comment on the notion of eligibility for UC. We admit students from the top12.5 percent of the statewide graduating high school class in California. How do we define the top 12.5 percent? There are two components. First, students must take the a-g courses in high school, a set of college preparatory courses in history, English, mathematics, laboratory science, foreign language, visual and performing arts, and college preparatory electives. Second, they must take the SAT I test of verbal and mathematics skills (or the ACT) and three SAT II achievement tests -writing, mathematics, and a third test of the student's choice selected from an array of options including literature, science, social studies, and foreign language. The formula for determining the top 12.5 percent is a combination of grades in the a-g courses and scores on the
