Rutgers president explains statement
Lawrence objects to SAT’s monopoly on student evaluation
The Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. — The president of Rutgers University says he did
not mean it when he told a group of faculty members that some
disadvantaged students do not have "the genetic hereditary
background" to score well on standardized tests.
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported today that Francis Lawrence
made the comment during a Nov. 11 talk to about 30 faculty members
at the state university’s Camden campus.
"The article interpreted me as meaning that genetic and
hereditary factors somehow determine a person’s ability and
achievement. That idea is precisely opposed to my beliefs,"
Lawrence said in a statement issued by his office today.
A tape recording made by faculty union members of Lawrence’s
Nov. 11 remarks was obtained by the newspaper. Describing his views
on the use of tests like the Scholastic Assessment Test to measure
student performance, Lawrence said:
"Let’s look at the SATs. The average SAT for African-Americans
is 750. Do we set standards in the future so that we don’t admit
anybody with the national test? Or do we deal with a disadvantaged
population that doesn’t have that genetic hereditary background to
have a higher average?"
In his statement today, Lawrence said he did not mean to say
that genetic and hereditary factors determine ability and
achievement. He said he believes that view "is dead wrong."
"What I intended to say was that standardized tests should not
be used to exclude disadvantaged students on the trumped-up grounds
that such tests measure inherent ability, because I believe that
they do not," Lawrence said.
In an interview with The Star-Ledger, Lawrence pointed out that
he has long criticized reliance on the SAT to measure students’
abilities and said he does not believe any person or group should
be "pigeonholed" because of performance on the SAT.
"In no way do I believe that African Americans are incapable of
doing well on SAT tests," Lawrence told the newspaper. "In no way
did I mean to hurt anybody because I believe just the other
way."