Students would no longer be required to take the SAT or ACT when applying to Colorado’s public colleges under proposed legislation that aims to make higher education more accessible to low-income and first-generation college applicants who often don’t do as well on standardized tests.
State Rep. Cathy Kipp and state Sen. Tammy Story, both Democrats, plan to introduce legislation when the chambers are back in session that would allow public colleges and universities to make the move to test-optional admissions. Students could still submit scores if they chose.
Lawmakers made tests optional for 2021 high school graduates applying to Colorado schools. The coronavirus caused disruptions across the state in accessing the SAT, and state officials waived requirements that schools offer the test. The proposed legislation would make that change permanent.
The impacts of the pandemic will continue to take center stage during Coloradoâs 2021 legislative session, lawmakers said during a Monday panel hosted by Chalkbeat Colorado.
And they will be especially focused on how to support students dealing with the effects of the pandemic, including how to provide the necessary resources for the many types of students Colorado districts serve, they said.
During the hour-and-a-half panel event cosponsored by the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education and the Colorado Education Association, lawmakers gave a preview of the education issues they expect to tackle over the next several months.
The forum featured five state lawmakers: Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat; Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican; Sen.-elect Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat; Rep. Colin Larson, a Littleton Republican; and Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat.