An article in Friday’s San Jose Mercury News reports on a recommendation made to overhaul the eligibility process for the University of California.

The move would expand economic, racial and geographic diversity in one of America’s premier public educational institutions — and boost the number of educated people in a state that is falling far behind others by urging a shift away from the current focus on grades and SAT scores to a broader review of students’ personal achievements, such as initiative and leadership ability.

“GPA is one single measure of a student’s academic achievement. But there are many other things to look at, as well,” he said. “Doing things the way we do now does not necessarily result in admitting the students who do best at UC.”

High school GPAs and SATs have been shown to account for only a minor part of a student’s ultimate success in college, according to the paper. But the emphasis causes teachers and students to “treat UC admissions as a high-stakes game, won by those who can play it best,” it said.