Is Standardized Testing on the Way Out of the NCAA Eligibility Process?
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Is Standardized Testing on the Way Out of the NCAA Eligibility Process?
Executive Summary
The NCAA formed an eight-point plan to tackle racial inequity in college sports, including the formation of the NCAA Standardized Test Score Task Force, which endeavored to review “legislation and policy governing the use of standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) as part of NCAA initial-eligibility requirements."
The NCAA Standardized Test Score Task Force announced this month a recommendation to “no longer include a standardized test score requirement” in the initial-eligibility process for high school student-athletes attempting to qualify to play Division I or II sports.
The task force worked with a number of organizations familiar with the eligibility process, from governance groups and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics to the National Association of College Admission Counseling and testing agencies, according to the NCAA. Division I and II member schools were also surveyed.
If ratified, removing the standardized test score requirement represents a sea change in the eligibility process for incoming high school student-athletes.
A push to lessen the impact of, or entirely remove, standardized test scores from the college admissions process gained momentum in the academic community in recent years, with more than a thousand colleges and universities making the submission of test scores optional or altogether eliminating the practice.
The change comes after numerous studies finding that high school grade-point averages better correlate to college performance than standardized testing, which critics say puts “less wealthy students at a disadvantage,” according to the New York Times.
In practice, the NCAA Eligibility Center collects school transcripts and standardized test scores from prospective student-athletes — students must complete 16 core courses in eight semesters and produce standardized testing scores comparable to their grade-point average.
The NCAA’s Division I and II committees in charge of academics “will consider the recommendation” in February meetings, the NCAA said.
As the push to limit the influence of, or entirely remove, standardized test scores from the college admissions process continues to gain steam, the NCAA will consider joining the movement. The NCAA’s recently-formed Standardized Test Score Task Force recommended earlier this month the elimination of the standardized test requirements from the NCAA initial-eligibility process after more than five months of research.
The NCAA’s academic committees for Division I and Division II athletics meet in February and plan to review the recommendation.
"This work reflects the NCAA's commitment to continually reviewing our academic standards based on the best available data and other relevant information," said Morgan State president David Wilson, the task force leader, in an NCAA release. "We are observing a national trend in NCAA member schools moving away from requiring standardized test scores for admissions purposes and this recommendation for athletics eligibility aligns directly with that movement."
The change in academic eligibility requirements for high school student-athletes entering the Division I or II ranks represents a significant sea change in college athletics. It is one of several recommended changes coming from the NCAA’s eight-point plan to advance racial equity in college athletics. The plan also included a review of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) and, the NCAA said, “its impact on historically Black colleges and universities and other limited-resource schools.”
The desire to change or eliminate standardized test scores from the college admissions process stems from research showing socioeconomic and racial inequity in standardized testing.
A University of California regent called standardized test scores “a proxy for privilege” in a 2020 New York Times report. UC last year became the largest university system in the United States to cut the use of standardized test scores after a court settlement with a student-led group that argued that “college entrance tests are biased against poor and mainly Black and Hispanic students,” the Times reported.
The NCAA’s most recent changes to the student-athlete initial-eligibility policy required standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) to match high school grade-point averages on a sliding scale. The NCAA Eligibility Center uses as an example a student with a 3.0 GPA scoring at least a 620 on their SAT.
For years, standardized test scores served as a major sticking point in the eligibility process, delaying the eligibility of student-athletes in several high-profile cases, oftentimes over concerns about the validity of the submitted scores.
The task force received input from a variety of groups and organizations, the NCAA said, including governance groups, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Division I and II member schools and the testing agencies in question, the College Board and ACT.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches in 2020 called for the elimination of ACT and SAT scores from the eligibility process as a result of the work conducted by the organization’s Committee on Racial Reconciliation, led by Harvard coach Tommy Amaker and South Carolina coach Frank Martin.
The NABC’s committee said the entrance exams represent “longstanding forces of institutional racism and no longer have a place in intercollegiate athletics or higher education at large. This is an important step towards combating educational inequality in our country.”
The powerful Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics made the same recommendation in May, calling on the athletic conferences, universities, the NCAA and College Football Playoff “to take decisive action to address systemic policies and practices that create barriers to the success of Black college athletes.” The group said the NCAA should instead employ “a more holistic review of student readiness.”
How, or if, the NCAA adjusts its student-athlete initial-eligibility process in the coming years will be another significant step in the rapidly-changing college athletics landscape. The task force’s recommendation this month was the latest indication of the many changes to come.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
