Educators and Students Urge Passage of AB 1951, Legislation to Give School Districts the Choice to Offer College Admissions Tests in Lieu of State Testing
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, San Diego area education leaders and students came together at Kearny High School in San Diego to push for college admissions tests like the SAT to be offered – as an alternative to state standardized tests – during the school day through the Pathways to College Act, currently moving through the California State Legislature.
“If schools are able to offer the SAT in lieu of state testing, educators and administrators will be able to open doors to higher education for all students while choosing tests that are more meaningful to students,” said Cindy Marten, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. “The Pathways to College Act allows local districts to choose assessments that provide the most college and career benefits to all students, while making sure our schools continue to meet state and federal testing requirements.”
In San Diego Unified School District’s graduating class of 2017, an estimated 67 percent of white students took the SAT, while only 53 percent of Hispanic students took the test. Some 80 percent of Asian students took the SAT and about 66 percent of African American students took the exam.
“The power to administer the SAT to students during the school day gives every student the choice to apply to college and pursue career and academic goals through higher education,” said Dr. Michael McQuary, Board Trustee at San Diego Unified School District.
The Pathways to College Act (AB1951) is supported by a broad coalition of teachers, parents, school board members, superintendents and education organizations, including the AVID Center.
“Making sure all students have equal access to college admissions tests like the SAT means that more schools can prepare as many students as possible, particularly those traditionally underserved, for college readiness and career success, aligning with the AVID mission,” said Tressa Pankovits, Chief of Staff at the AVID Center, headquartered in San Diego. “With the Pathways to College Act, students and parents will also have access to important opportunities for scholarships, free and personalized test practice tools, and college application fee waivers.”
A growing body of evidence shows that offering a college admissions test like the SAT at no cost to students during the school day propels more students into college.
“As a junior in high school, taking tests like the SAT during the school day for free would make college a reality for more students like me,” said Cori Dill, a junior at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego’s Poway School District. “After using Khan Academy, I felt more comfortable and prepared for the test and increased my SAT score by 160 points. If more students were able to access these free, personalized resources, we can improve our scores and achieve our academic goals.”
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Editorial Note: information based on press release as provided to CANW, and was not created by CaliforniaNewswire.com – information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed.
