Dear Chancellor Castro:
I respectfully seek clarification about the suspended requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores for Fall 2022 admissions, concerned that Fall 2022 applicants may wrongly assess their opportunities for admissions, thus potentially affecting their decision to submit a CSU application.
In preparing to advise clients about Fall 2022 admissions, I noted a discrepancy between the California State University’s (CSU) stated policy suspending the requirement of SAT and ACT scores for first year applicants and admissions officers’ practice of CSU testing policy when evaluating applicants.
The SAT/ACT requirement policy as promoted on the Cal State Apply website states:
The California State University (CSU) will continue to temporarily suspend the use of ACT/SAT examinations in determining admission eligibility for all CSU campuses for the 2022-2023 academic year.
In stating “determining admission eligibility”, is it to be understood then that applicants will be permitted to apply regardless of submitting an SAT or ACT score or not, effectively enacting a “test-optional” practice?
But, as CSU admissions officers from multiple campuses advise, just as for Fall 2021, Fall 2022 applicants will be evaluated as “test-blind”, where SAT or ACT scores will not be considered at all in determining admissions.
Furthermore, numerous CSU admissions officers shared that SAT or ACT scores, if submitted, will only be used as placement exams for CSU-level English and Math courses, should the student choose to enroll in a CSU.
I would posit that if current high school juniors understood that their potential for admissions isn’t contingent on the consideration of an SAT or ACT score at all, they may be more likely to submit a CSU application. As many students consider the SAT or ACT score as a determining factor in their admissions, they may be more emboldened to apply as there’s one less barrier to an acceptance.
The CSU as a public institution has educated generations of Californians, including my Fresno State alumni parents. By clarifying the CSU admissions testing requirement, those Californians just maturing into adulthood may be able to apply to the CSU in search of economic prosperity vital for the well being of this great state.
Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to these concerns.
Kind regards,
Jill Yoshikawa, EdM
Jill Yoshikawa, Ed M, Harvard ’99, a seasoned, 25 year educator, combines educational theory with experience to advise families, schools and educators, helping nurture the next generation. You can contact her at [email protected]
