Daily Lumina News 042722

The SAT or ACT standardized test score used to make or break college applications for high school seniors. But the pandemic turned that notion on its head as nearly 80 percent of four-year colleges and universities went test optional.
The result of that decision: Some students got accepted to more selective schools. Now, many colleges may make the test-optional trend permanent.

Zein El-Amine has three bags in the trunk of his Toyota Prius. One is for his teaching job at American University; another goes with him to Georgetown University. A third bag is reserved for Thursday nights at George Washington University.
El-Amine’s workload is not uncommon. Many adjunct faculty members must cobble together classes at various universities just so they can earn a living wage.

Getting out of default has become an urgent issue for both people wanting to go back to school after release from prison and those hoping to enroll in college prison programs as Pell Grants become more readily available next year.
This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced several key policy changes to make that happen.

In statehouses around the country, bills claiming to combat critical race theory and “divisive concepts” in education are being signed into law.
Though many of the bills initially focused on public schools, more are taking aim at colleges. Many professors, students, and others fear that the measures will limit teaching and discussions about race.

Inside some University of California academic departments and colleges, an atypical idea is gaining steam: De-emphasize or even ditch the A-F grading system to help first-year students get acclimated to college.
Advocates argue that letter grades aren't a good measure of student learning and that pass/no pass grading in certain courses could be a better alternative.

After enduring the strangest college experience in modern history—Zoom seminars, dining hall takeout, masked dorm mates, nasal swabs in the student center—the classes of COVID are finally getting the on-campus graduation ceremonies they were denied.
Institutions from Loyola University Chicago to the University of Oregon are gearing up to celebrate the Classes of 2020 and sometimes 2021—as well as 2022—with carefully orchestrated commencement rituals, speeches, and innovative activities.