Judge Rules Against 'Test-Optional' Policy

USA Today: "University of California schools can no longer use SAT and ACT test results in deciding undergraduate admissions as the school system's 'test optional' policy at some of its campuses may unfairly benefit those who can access a test amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a judge ruled. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman said that 'test optional' policy at some UC campuses denies students who do not submit standardized test results a 'second look' during the admissions process that those who do submit the tests are afforded."

"The system allowed for a 'test optional' policy at some campuses, which permitted students who wanted to take the SAT and ACT to submit their scores in hopes of boosting their admission chances. Seligman said attorneys for the UC system showed that by submitting their scores, students at the 'test optional' campuses 'can only help, and never hurt an applicant ... Put another way, the tests are treated as a plus factor, and thus test-submitters are given a second opportunity for admission consideration'."

"In a statement provided by spokeswoman Claire Doan, the University of California system said it 'respectfully disagrees' with the ruling and would consider further legal action. 'An injunction may interfere with the University’s efforts to implement appropriate and comprehensive admissions policies and its ability to attract and enroll students of diverse backgrounds and experiences,' the statement said."

Four Sources of Tuition Inflation

Manhattan Institute: "Tuition inflation has been extensively examined. These studies neglect to deal with this question: Why has pressure from the market failed to mitigate these effects, as would normally happen in competitive markets for other products and services?" 1) Price v. Value: In the market for higher education, buyers’ willingness to pay will depend, to a large extent, on their perception of the long-run financial value of education, in the form of higher wages and more consistent employment.

2) Price Opacity: Published prices for tuition and fees are often far different from the prices that students pay after taking into account the discounts provided by the college and grant aid given by the federal and state departments of education ... The result of this pricing process is that aspiring students must make decisions about if and where to enroll based on a limited set of information about the options available to them."

3) Oligopolistic Competition: A geographically constrained marketplace means that many potential students will choose between a limited number of options within a reasonable commuting distance from home ... In practice, this can lead to what is known as oligopolistic competition, in which a market is dominated by a small number of firms—or, in this case, colleges. 4) Regulation: To gain eligibility for federal financial aid, colleges must participate in a process of accreditation ... The result is that innovative higher-education providers often have to exist without the benefit of access to federal financial aid ... the disadvantage of lacking access to federal aid dollars limits the extent to which they can prosper."

Colleges Innovate Novel Virus Solutions

The New York Times: "The fall of 2020 will go down as a period of profound experimentation at colleges and universities transformed into hothouse laboratories. They are trying out wastewater tests, dozens of health-check apps and versions of homegrown contact technologies that log student movement and exposure risk. And they are experimenting with different testing methods that might yield faster results and be easier to administer, such as using saliva instead of nasal swabs."

"Like small island nations with discrete populations, many universities are using methods that cities, states and nations often cannot. The colleges have some authority over relatively captive communities, which are made up of students largely at ease with new technology. Plus, the schools have profound motivation: Their very economic survival depends on people coming to campus safely ... Thousands of positive cases have already been reported on scores of newly reopened campuses."

"These trial-and-error experiments could seed technologies to help the rest of society cope with the pandemic ... An app, known as Covid Watch and developed on a platform built by Apple and Google, anonymously tracks students’ movements using Bluetooth technology; those who download the app will be notified if they have been in proximity to someone who has tested positive ... To grapple with the privacy implications, the university has made use of the app voluntary. The information is kept on personal devices — phones or watches or other Bluetooth-enabled technology — and the users are the ones who would permit a positive test to be shared, with their identities kept secret."