SAT Requirements Should Be Aligned With Mission (opinion)

"Given the importance of local considerations, there are few universal policy prescriptions that can be recommended with confidence. Sadly, this complexity was overlooked in Saul Geiser's recent Inside Higher Ed essay entitled " Why the SAT Is a Poor Fit for Public Universities." My position is not that all, or even any, public universities should require standardized test scores. In fact, I share Geiser's view that a university's "mission shapes admission policy.""

"In my view, Geiser's argument is fundamentally flawed in his comparison of elite private institutions to public university systems, which often include an elite flagship campus alongside a broader range of institutions. Geiser's comparison is particularly surprising given his long-standing association with the University of California system. The California Master Plan for Higher Education has long been studied and celebrated for establishing a public postsecondary education system consisting of institutions with differentiated missions and admission processes."

States set their own higher-education policies, creating natural experiments that reveal which approaches work in particular contexts. Local considerations limit the usefulness of universal policy prescriptions. A university's mission shapes admission policy, so the suitability of the SAT depends on how institutions operationalize mission and define priorities. Public university systems commonly display vertical stratification, combining elite flagship campuses with broader access campuses. The California Master Plan exemplifies differentiated missions and admissions: community colleges offer open access and pathways, CSU admits the top third with emphasis on undergraduate education and teacher preparation, and UC reserved slots for the top eighth of graduates.

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