Should UC stop considering SAT and ACT scores in admissions?

The L.A. Times reports:

The SAT and a rival college entrance exam, the ACT, were intended to level the college admissions process a bit by offering an objective test that would place all students, regardless of what school they attend, on the same footing. But it hasn’t exactly worked out that way. Private test prep has become a big business, with fees that often run into the thousands of dollars per student. More affluent students can also afford to take the test multiple times in search of higher scores. It’s no wonder that test scores are strongly correlated with family income.

That’s why the University of California, which has a public obligation to treat the state’s students fairly, is right to reexamine the tests and their role in the admissions process. Applicants to UC schools today are required to take either the SAT or the ACT, although there’s no minimum score they have to meet for admission. Some key questions the university should ask are: How accurately do the tests predict future student success in UC’s rigorous academic programs? Should they be given less weight as an admissions factor? Discounted altogether? Made optional, as hundreds of colleges have already done? Are they indeed biased against students of color, low-income students, non-English speakers and students with disabilities?

UC’s report on the subject is expected to be released in February.

Getting rid standards ... to make everyone equal.