The New York legislature may well have overstepped its bounds this week when it passed a bill that would limit state and city universities from using the SAT or other "high-stakes tests" as major criteria for acceptance into the schools. According to the New York Post, outraged college officials are now pressing Governor Pataki to veto the bill-which was originally pushed by the City University of New York (CUNY) professors' union-because "it sets a dangerous precedent of having state politicians dictating their admissions policy." More than that, were the bill to become law, it would likely embolden K-12 anti-testing groups, who are already pushing to lift the Regents' policy requiring students to pass five exams to earn a diploma and block Mayor Bloomberg's use of standardized tests to determine whether Gotham students can be promoted beyond the third grade. (See below for more.) This is a battle with an uncertain ending, but one that is well worth watching. Stay tuned.
"State pols pass bill to end colleges' reliance on SATs," by Carl Campanile, New York Post, July 20, 2004