The U of Kentucky raised its minimum score on the ACT for freshman admissions this year. Just so happens that the number of black freshmen enrolling at UK is down 40%, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
This is not surprising as the ACT (and the SAT) have long histories of discriminating against people of color as well as women (ACT), and working class students. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, <a href=”http://www.fairtest.org” has a very useful resource page on the problems with university testing. FairTest says:
“Standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE are promoted by their developers as important tools for admissions offices to use in distinguishing between students from vastly different backgrounds. What the tests’ developers fail to say is how poorly the exams predict students’ future performance at the undergraduate and graduate level. Nor do they honestly address the racial, gender, and economic inequities in admissions, financial aid, and participation in special programs that stem from the use of standardized tests.”
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