Colleges would scream because enrollments might shrink. Black and Hispanic groups would protest that minority students would be hurt most. The result is massive social promotion. Six of 10 high school graduates go to college of some type. Roughly half of those eventually drop out.
Remedial courses are widespread.
About 29 percent of freshmen took at least one in reading, writing or math. All the political problems of national tests for fourth-graders would afflict a test for federal college aid. It would compel more students to work harder, foster a climate of learning in classrooms and create popular pressures for school systems to do better. It would assert the principle that federal benefits are a privilege, not a mere handout.