When my son prepared college applications, the only standardized test he wanted to use was ACT. It covered four academic skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning.
As many of you know, my physics-oriented son figured he would do well on the scientific reasoning portion. He did well enough to be a US Air Force Academy graduate working as a physicist.
Scientific reasoning is important, as it helps discern truth from fiction and allows sensible policies based on facts and reason to be formed.
Unfortunately, the ACT organization that administers the test has figured that American students are not getting enough science in their academic experience, so the test is now optional.
In fact, the whole test has been dumbed down.
The science portion of the ACT is no longer required. When registering for the test, students will have the option to take the science section, like the writing section.The composite score will now be the average of the English, Reading, and Math sections.One part of the decision was that ACT wanted to align more with other standardized tests. For example, the SAT does not have a science section. Another factor in the decision-making process was student opinions.“They got lots of feedback from students, the test takers, about what are some things that you struggle with, with the ACT, and not needing that science component was something that those students spoke to,” said Laura Clark, Rankin County School District Assessment Coordinator.Clark served on a district advisory committee for the ACT.Also, the entire test will be shorter. ACT cut questions from each of the required sections, cutting a total of 44 questions.Passages in the Reading and English sections have been shortened to give students more time to focus on the question.
The step is just another milestone on the road to the complete ideological capture of our scientific institutions. Some recent Legal Insurrection articles that highlight the unintended and potentially destructive consequences of this ideological capture include:
The trend is continuing. In City Journal, contributing editor John Tierney reviews how the preference for DEI dogma over scientific inquiry on campuses has become increasingly prevalent. His many examples are disturbing, especially as they push clear-thinking men out of science.
Other psychologists, frustrated at the growing reluctance of journals to publish anything that offends progressives, have been quietly advising their best students to avoid this politicized discipline altogether, particularly the male students hoping to become professors…. As today’s younger professors gain seniority and hire colleagues who share their politics and fit their preferred identity groups, fewer talented scientists will remain to tackle the difficult questions—and more scientists will be determined to stop anyone from trying.
I am glad my son can do the science that he loves. I want others who follow him to be able to do the same. I hope this trend away from scientific rigor in favor of social justice metrics can be reversed.
The Legal Insurrection team has been doing good work, but there is still much more.
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