The NCAA Standardized Test Task Force recommended Friday that high school students preparing to play Division 1 or Division 2 sports should no longer submit mandatory SAT and ACT scores in order to compete.
The announcement stems from the NCAA’s Plan to Advance Racial Equity, which includes eight proposals to “address racial justice and equity at the national office and among the membership.” The SAT and ACT score component is a significant part of the plan when evaluating the initial eligibility requirements for Division 1 and Division 2 student-athletes.
“This work reflects the NCAA’s commitment to continually reviewing our academic standards based on the best available data and other relevant information,” David Wilson, the president of Morgan State University and task force head, said of the recommendation. “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 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) tweeted Friday its support of the task force’s recommendation.
A NCAA task force has backed removal of standardized test scores as a component of Division I and II initial eligibility.
Their support follows a 2020 NABC proposal calling for the elimination of standardized tests for NCAA eligibility.
More ➡️ https://t.co/TFtTMTuTXj pic.twitter.com/zzVWhG0gYs
— NABC (@NABC1927) October 15, 2021
In July 2020, the NABC called for the complete elimination of standardized test scores for prospective collegiate athletes.
“The NABC Committee on Racial Reconciliation believes that the SAT and ACT are longstanding forces of institutional racism and no longer have a place in intercollegiate athletics or higher education at large,” the NABC said in a statement at the time.
The Division 1 Committee on Academics and Division II Academic Requirements Committee are scheduled to consider the recommendation at their next meeting in February of 2022. (RELATED: POLL: Did Jon Gruden Deserve To Lose His Job?)