On Wednesday, the two top Texas high school football recruitssigned letters of intent to attend the University of Oklahoma.However, as an article in this week’s Dallas MorningNews points out, hundreds of other college-bound Texans aredefecting to the Sooner state because the infamous top 10 (percent)rule has prevented them from gaining acceptance at the Universityof Texas and Texas A&M.
Although seeing the state’s top quarterback in a burntorange jersey would have been wonderful, the more alarming issue isthe unjust denial of educational opportunity for hundreds ofdeserving high school seniors.
The top 10 rule (House Bill 588) was passed in 1997 tocompensate for the ban on affirmative action created by Hopwood v.Texas (dare we mention the “A” words at SMU?), a casewhich the Supreme Court rendered defunct last year in its Michigandecision.
Unfortunately, the rule creates a nearly insurmountable obstaclefor non-qualifying students attending competitive high schools. AtPlano Senior High School, which uses a weighted GPA system,students must have above a 4.0 to be in the top 10 percent. Similarshocking situations are found in Highland Park, Southlake, andother excellent school.
Many non-qualifying students from these suburban schools arehighly competent and better prepared for collegiate success thantop-ten percent students in other districts. However, because theirgraduating class consisted of four dozen future Ivy-leaguers, theyare forced to fight for the dwindling number of spaces available instate schools for non-top 10 percent students.
Seventy percent of spaces in UT’s Class of 2007 were takenby automatically accepted students in the top 10 percent. Beforelong, the entire application at Texas state schools may consist ofone question: “Are you in the top 10 percent?”
We do not wish to stereotype all students from less outstandingschool districts as unworthy. Certainly, manyautomatically-accepted students from these high schools are quitedeserving of admission. But a problem obviously exists, asevidenced by a comparison of SAT scores.
If the current trend continues at UT, the mean SAT score ofnon-top 10 percent students will surpass the mean score of thoseaccepted under the top 10 rule.
The financial ramifications are substantial, too. Universitieswith comparable academic standards are either private orout-of-state.
SMU benefits from the top 10 rule because we enroll manyoutstanding students who would have preferred to attend a stateschool. Regardless, Ed. Board believes this unjust and inequitablerule should be abolished. While class rank is an acceptableconsideration, it should never be a barrier.
