California Trying to Dumb Down Higher Education?

One of my readers has alerted me to a plan by the University of California Board of Regents to lower their admission standards. It sounds to me like a terrible idea, so liberals must be behind it. In my mind, the unintended consequence will be either the dumbing down of California’s higher education system, or the students will be set up for failure.

In fact, either way, the students will be set up for failure, they will either flunk out of school or will be ill prepared for a career upon graduation.

In the interest of time (the Board votes on this next week), with permission I am posting J.G.’s email. Remember, these things begin in California and the next thing you know they spread to the rest of the nation.

Re: College Admissions Atrocity

From: J.G.

To: LonelyConservative

I am sure you get a lot of messages, so as a quick refresher, the UC Board of Regents wants to lower the standards for admission in order to create a larger pool of applicants and more ‘holistic approach’ to admissions. I have copied the data again at the bottom showing how the SAT II actually helps minorities qualify because it allows them to distinguish themselves in specific subjects such as science and foreign languages.  

As a graduate of two schools in the UC system I am desperately concerned about this attempt to devalue the quality of education and hope that you will look at my research and consider writing about it or at least posting it. This situation will spread like wildfire and schools throughout the country could soon decide that diversity outweighs qualifications and start eliminating benchmarks and lowering standards as well. After some more intense research this is what I have found:  

One of the primary groups supporting this proposal is the National Institute for Fair and Open Testing. This group proudly lists George Soros’ Open Society Institute and William Ayers’ Woods Foundation as significant donors and sponsors. There is no organized opposition to this proposal that I have seen, but the public needs to write letters and join the facebook group, more information on that is available here: www.saveucstandards.com  

Here are two opinions by CA Legislators

Cameron Smyth: http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/a38/index.aspx?page=OPED&oped=2119

Van Tran: http://republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/a68/index.aspx?page=OPED&oped=2000

 And former U.S. Congressman Doug Ose has also had his thoughts published on the subject here: http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/blog/doug-ose/what-we%E2%80%99re-not-being-told-about-changing-uc%E2%80%99s-admissions-standards

Ose’s op-ed brings to light several new issues, including a September 2008 report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, found here: http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/Documents/TestingComission_FinalReport.pdf stating on page 7 that, “there are tests that, at many institutions, are more predictive of first-year and overall grades in college and more closely linked to the high school curriculum, including the College Board’s AP exams and Subject Tests.” Not everyone takes the AP tests, but the subject tests are the closest thing to a level playing field in specific subjects and the Board of Regents is trying to take it away!

Harvard’s Dean of Admissions, William R. Fitzsimmons, clearly saying that SAT II subject tests are, “better predictors than either high school grades or the SAT [I].” Full article here: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=522693

Finally, I have been looking at some of the minutes from previous meetings of the Board of Regents and have found some evidence to show that there is something/someone behind this rushed decision to admit thousands of unqualified students into California ’s universities. To begin with, in a July statement from the Office of the UC president, seen here: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/july08/e5.pdf on the bottom of page 4, he says that the SAT II has, “negligible predictive value” (contradicting the NACAC report above) and further stating that dropping the SAT II, “would require raising the GPA/test score index considerably and, as a consequence, lead to severely negative consequences for the makeup of the applicant pool.” But the Board of Regents has proposed eliminating the SAT II and LOWERING the GPA, when the president’s message states that it should place even more emphasis on GPA by raising it. Not to mention that if eliminating the SAT II means they would have to raise the GPA index, shouldn’t that mean that the SAT II is important? I ask again what the HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!

To confound the insanity, in the minutes for a July 16 meeting of the Regents Policy Committee seen here: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/minutes/2008/edpol7.pdf on page 12, the minutes read, ““Failure to take the required SAT subject tests or complete the “a-g” curriculum properly – which may mean only minor variances – are major reasons for ineligibility, including academically strong students.” So rather than doing a better job of informing applicants of the admission requirements, they simply want to do away with them? That is just nonsense.

 I know this has been a long email, but the meeting is going to happen in a week and all of the evidence is pointing to some shady underlying motivations. We can’t just keep promoting people when they are clearly unqualified, especially when we are already turning away thousands who already have worked to meet those requirements. Please help me bring this issue to light, there is only one week left and NO ONE in the mainstream media will take a stand to defend the crown jewel of America ’s learning institutions!