The Abridged version:
- Two elementary schools in Sacramento City Unified will stop using entrance exams, after the state attorney general found the tests discriminate against students with disabilities.
- Attorney General Rob Bonta and his office announced last week the settlement of a year-long investigation into the district’s enrollment practices.
Children hoping to land a spot in two of Sacramento City Unified’s more sought-after schools will no longer face a screening test.
The district is doing away with entrance exams for kindergarten at Phoebe Hearst Elementary and first grade at Camellia Basic Elementary. The decision comes at the direction of the state attorney general, who last week announced a settlement with Sacramento City Unified over their enrollment practices.
Attorney General Rob Bonta and his office concluded a year-long investigation, which found the district’s open enrollment process disadvantaged students of color, lower-income families and other marginalized students.
His office also identified “serious concerns” with the elementary schools’ longstanding screening tools, used to evaluate potential incoming five- and six-year-olds. The ensuing settlement required a review of the tests by Bonta’s office.
On Wednesday, the district was ordered by the attorney general to immediately stop using the tests, according to a notice that went out to parents Friday.
The attorney general’s office “has reviewed the screening tool and determined that it discriminates against students with disabilities,” the message read.
The change will affect open enrollment this year.
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.