A record number of colleges no longer require standardized tests for admission, but minorities remain underrepresented. Three decades ago, two liberal arts colleges — Bates College and Bowdoin College — zigged where so many others had zagged, becoming essentially the only major colleges to not require SAT or ACT scores from potential applicants. On their backs, a Boston-based organization called FairTest began advocating in 1985 for de-emphasizing test scores in American universities. Together, they launched one of the most galvanizing debates in higher education, one that rages still today. Now, there are more than 1,000 colleges that no longer require testing results, FairTest announced earlier this year. That includes more than a third of American nonprofit four-year universities, with recent additions including such prestigious institutions as George Washington University and University of Chicago. Test abolitionists have long argued that high school grades, not testing, are the best predictor of collegiate performance. But even as many colleges jump on the bandwagon, one of their key arguments — that eliminating testing would improve student body diversity — has come under fire. | 