npr:

Fatima Martinez knows there’s a lot riding on her SAT score.

“My future is at stake,” says the Los Angeles high school senior. “The score I will receive will determine which UC schools I get into.”

But that may not always be the case.

A lawsuit expected to be filed Tuesday is challenging the University of California system’s use of the SAT or ACT as a requirement for admission. A draft of the document obtained by NPR argues the tests — long used to measure aptitude for college — are deeply biased and provide no meaningful information about a student’s ability to succeed, and therefore their requirement is unconstitutional.

“The evidence that we’re basing the lawsuit on is not in dispute,” says attorney Mark Rosenbaum of the pro bono firm Public Counsel. “What the SAT and ACT are doing are exacerbating inequities in the public school system and keeping out deserving students every admissions cycle.”

Public Counsel is filing the suit in California Superior Court on behalf of students and a collection of advocacy groups.

Lawsuit Claims SAT And ACT Are Illegal In California Admissions

Illustration: Ryan Johnson for NPR