It shouldn’t be controversial to recognize that some students are not capable of success in college.
The degrees with the lowest attrition rates tend to be the ones that are gated behind high admission requirements (e.g. minimum high school grades).
The idea that anyone can be anything is harmful to everyone. If you are 5’2”, you won’t make it in today’s NBA. If you are 400lbs, you are not healthy.
I’m sure some people have been failed by the K-12 educational system, but the answer isn’t to further degrade the college system.
It’s even more predictive when you realize that the SAT/ACT are given a year or two before college: this isn’t tracking someone at age 5, but saying someone a year away from college lacks the skills and knowledge to perform well in class next year.
If schools actually consistently applied standardized test scores as part of admissions, without padding scores for race or economics, it’d be better for everyone. It might sting to be told you won’t do well in college, but wouldn’t that $100 test be better than taking on $50K in debt to find that out?
Research backs this: SAT scores strongly correlate with GPA, retention, and degree completion. High scores even are predictors of life outcomes: income, occupational achievement, medical degrees, etc.
And it shouldn't be controversial to recognize that some students did not receive the $upport needed to succeed in college. Life isn't a meritocracy.