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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.