Judge Blocks SAT, ACT Scores For Admission On All UC Campuses

The University of California must immediately stop using the scores from SAT and ACT standardized tests to decide admissions on all of its campuses under a preliminary injunction issued by a Superior Court judge.

The ruling comes three months after UC Regents voted to phase out the use of those scores by 2025. But Regents gave individual UC campuses the option to accept test scores from students in the interim. UCLA and UC Riverside were among the campuses that planned to continue accepting admissions tests results for the fall 2021 semester.

The preliminary injunction was granted in response to a request from lawyers from Public Counsel and other civil rights groups, who filed a lawsuit last year arguing that higher scores on these tests reflect financial access to test preparation rather than academic achievement.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman agreed with the lawyers’ concerns that pandemic restrictions have greatly reduced the availability of testing centers and accommodations for disabled students are “almost nil.”

The companies that run the SAT and ACT tests did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

RELATED:

• The UC System Is Being Sued To Stop Using SAT/ACT Over Discrimination Claims

• In 'Incredible Step' UC Regents Suspend SAT And ACT Admissions Requirement — Possibly Forever

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