By John Raftrey And Lori McCormick
E-mail John Raftrey And Lori McCormick
About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally f...
(More)About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally feature "guest? bloggers and invite other college counselors to join the blog team. We are members of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC).
Lori McCormick: I began my college advising career in 2006 at Notre Dame de Namur in Transfer Admissions. Since then, I have worked at San Jose State in the Career Center, for a local independent college advising firm, and for BUILD a college access program for underrepresented youth. I graduated with a BA in Sociology from UCSB and a MA in Psychology with a concentration in Career Counseling from Antioch University. I am an active volunteer with The Parent?s Club of the Peninsula (PAMP), the Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) and I am a seasonal application reader for the
Maisin Scholar Award. I reside in Palo Alto with my husband and two sons.
John Raftrey: I have been advising students for the last three admission cycles. I regularly attend conferences, tour colleges, and keep up with the changing landscape of college admissions. I'll share what I learn and throw in a few opinions along the way. I moved to Palo Alto in 1991. My three sons are all veterans of PAUSD and graduated from Paly. I graduated from the University of Michigan, earned an MBA at Columbia University and hold a certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego. In my past life I worked in TV news and high tech marketing.
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Alameda Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman today issued a preliminary injunction preventing the UC's from using test scores in determining admission or scholarship decisions in the upcoming admissions cycle because they discrimination against students with learning and physical disabilities who have been unable to take either test.
The judge ruled that students with disabilities, "faced barriers greatly exacerbated by the Covid-19 epidemic," that other students do not face. Specifically, because of Covid-19 there were a limited number of test sites that provide accommodations and limited access to school counselors to request accommodations for students with disabilities.
The effect of the ruling will mean that all UC campuses will be test blind and will not use standardized test scores in evaluating students' applications or scholarships. Under the UC system in place until this morning, students who submitted test scores to test-optional UCs, would have their test scores taken into account during the UCs "second look," practice of re-examining certain students' applications. Tests could also provide a “plus factor" for test submitting students. This is prevented from occurring in this admissions cycle.
