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Comment by lapcat | Hacker News Reader

> I think the groups championing stuff like this had a lot of clout a few years ago.

Alternative explanation: the pandemic happened. "When the coronavirus pandemic scrambled testing, Yale and many other colleges dropped requirements that applicants submit standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT."

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That is indeed a possibility. However that was not the popular narrative. I'd be interested to see if that was the reason given and how often

> However that was not the popular narrative. I'd be interested to see if that was the reason given and how often

"For nearly four years Yale’s undergraduate admissions process has been test-optional. The experience, originally necessitated by the pandemic..." https://admissions.yale.edu/test-flexible

"I am writing to announce that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our office will be suspending our usual SAT/ACT testing requirement for the coming application cycle." https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-suspending-our-...

"When Dartmouth suspended its standardized testing requirement for undergraduate applicants in June 2020, it was a pragmatic pause taken by most colleges and universities in response to an unprecedented global pandemic." https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/apply/update-testing-policy

I thought the popular narrative was that this was primarily driven by the pandemic? The debate about the value of standardized test scores has been raging for decades and up until the pandemic most elite colleges and universities still required them. (Upon reflection, there was a prior movement at some schools to boost declining enrollment by making tests optional, but that seemed more driven by profit-seeking than morality.)

The primary explanation I have heard both in the news and from friends in admissions departments for so many elite schools going test-optional at the same time was for the pandemic, and most of the ones I am aware of explicitly called it a temporary measure as Yale did.

Now I could buy that the testing debate may have played a role in why some schools have been dragging their feet to return to requiring tests post-pandemic because anti-test folks are exploiting this opportunity. But having worked in academia I also would not discount the immense inertia in university admissions playing an equally large role.

I'm sorry... no. The pandemic also messed with ... grading. Why is a one day exam considered enough of a danger to merit ignoring it, while mandating continued schooling? Many disadvantaged students obviously were going to be more disadvantaged with online schooling. We could have easily found ways to administer tests safely (outdoors, fewer people in larger, well-ventilated buildings, etc). No... no attempts were made to even encourage that, realizing that making this opportunity available would mean more disadvantaged kids able to attend these schools.

> We could have easily

Easily, yes, that's the stereotypical HN comment. Everything is easy. I could do it in a weekend...

> outdoors

That's much easier said than done in many parts of the country.

> realizing that making this opportunity available would mean more disadvantaged kids able to attend these schools.

Sooooo... why are they stopping then?

Have you considered the possibility that maybe during a global pandemic, with all kinds of terrible crap happening, administering the SAT wasn't a very high social priority, and it was easier for everyone just to skip it?

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