From: George Weinbaum [e-mail him] 

Douglas Belkin at the WSJ reports in "Colleges Set To Offer Exit Tests", August 26, 2013, that

"Next spring, seniors at about 200 U.S. colleges will take a new test that could prove more important to their future than final exams: an SAT-like assessment that aims to cut through grade-point averages and judge students' real value to employers". ... Studies show that grade-point averages, or GPAs, have been rising steadily for decades, but employers feel many new graduates aren't prepared for the workforce. ... Even students with top grades from good schools many not 'be able to write well or make an argument.' ... The CLA+ is scored on the 1600-point scale used by the SAT".

Harrumph.  Haven't we seen this before?  Will Griggs prevent use of the CLA+?  Is the Pope Catholic?  Can Obama (to quote Belkin) "make an argument"?  Will Caucasian college grads score 200-250 points higher on average on the CLA+ than Negro college grads? 

Stay tuned.

See previous letters from George Weinbaum.

James Fulford writes: The Griggs that Mr. Weinbaum refers to is Griggs v. Duke Power Co., a 1971 Supreme Court decisions that says that standards that have a “disparate impact” on minorities are ipso facto discriminatory. I’ve said—more than once—that:

"The message of Griggs and "disparate impact" theory: if minorities fail tests at a higher rate than whites, it's the test that's wrong."

Therefore all tests are always wrong, and employers can’t be allowed to find out which potential employees are the smartest—because the answer is never: Non-Asian Minorities.