The "non-profit" College Board has fallen to a new low

[snowbeltmom]

The following is from an editorial in the LA Times this month:

"High school students have long wanted the option of taking the SAT in the summer. That's when many of the tutoring programs for the high-stakes college test are given, so the information would be fresh in the students' minds. The timing also would allow them to study for the test when they have more leisure, rather than during the academic year.

Now, finally, this August, the College Board will offer a summer administration of the test — but only at a $4,500 summer program being held on the campus of Amherst College in Massachusetts, giving some 50 students who are already heavily advantaged an additional leg up. This was a terrible decision by the College Board, owner of the SAT.

It's worth remembering that when the SAT (which stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test at the time; now it's simply an acronym) was first used as a factor in admissions by Harvard University during the 1930s, the idea was to democratize the college application process..."

 

According to the comments listed on College Confidential, colleges will also have no idea that these students participated in this program since the official scores sent to colleges will list a test date of June rather than the actual test date of August.

 

Imo, the SAT and other standardized tests are not a measure of intelligence. If they were strictly a measure of intelligence, a student would not be able to raise his score by prepping for the exams.

 

The CB should give all students the opportunity to take the SAT in August when students have no other academic distractions to interfere with their test prepping, not just those whose parents are able to shell out $4500.

[nellecv]

While I understand the need for an across-the-board test to compare students from different schools and districts, the system is badly flawed. I work as an SAT tutor for a very good test prep company. Parents often pay $2,000-3,000 for tutoring, and their kids scores often go up by 300-500 points! That's an incredible advantage. I STRONGLY advise all high school students to do lots of prep in order to be competitive. There are plenty of free online sources, prep books, etc. The problem is that without the hand-holding of a course or tutor, many kids simply won't do the prep on their own. They often have no idea what they're really competing against.

[Teachin'Mine]

The following is from an editorial in the LA Times this month:

"High school students have long wanted the option of taking the SAT in the summer. That's when many of the tutoring programs for the high-stakes college test are given, so the information would be fresh in the students' minds. The timing also would allow them to study for the test when they have more leisure, rather than during the academic year.

Now, finally, this August, the College Board will offer a summer administration of the test — but only at a $4,500 summer program being held on the campus of Amherst College in Massachusetts, giving some 50 students who are already heavily advantaged an additional leg up. This was a terrible decision by the College Board, owner of the SAT.

It's worth remembering that when the SAT (which stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test at the time; now it's simply an acronym) was first used as a factor in admissions by Harvard University during the 1930s, the idea was to democratize the college application process..."

 

According to the comments listed on College Confidential, colleges will also have no idea that these students participated in this program since the official scores sent to colleges will list a test date of June rather than the actual test date of August.

 

Imo, the SAT and other standardized tests are not a measure of intelligence. If they were strictly a measure of intelligence, a student would not be able to raise his score by prepping for the exams.

 

The CB should give all students the opportunity to take the SAT in August when students have no other academic distractions to interfere with their test prepping, not just those whose parents are able to shell out $4500.

 

Yes they have. Your students can get the best score they can afford to get. Those who can pay thousands for prep classes definitely have an advantage.

 

A few years back, I always wondered why homeschoolers didn't just devote a lot of time to test prep as it's so important for admissions and scholarships. Now that we've arrived here, I can understand why. There's so much more to do that's way more interesting and educational than test prep. The tests are expensive enough. Dd will soon have to start working with prep books, but I know she won't have the kind of time she could probably use as she's got her own goals now.

 

What bothers me the most, and would be unethical, is if the information the students are reporting is true - if it's listed as a June test date. Comments aren't always the most reliable source of info though. Has anyone found any verification either way on this?

 

I would have no problem with an August test date if it was available to all students. I'm sure high schools would have a problem with staffing for the proctoring, but there's no reason an early September test date couldn't be added to give everyone the advantage of summer test prep.

[Teachin'Mine]

Googled and found this update on Huffington:

 

"

UPDATE 6/5/2012, 3:45 p.m.: The College Board has recently canceled the summer test date, citing concerns about equity and access to education. (UPDATE continues below)

In an email to The Huffington Post, California-based education consultant Elizabeth Stone said the new test date "contradicts all reasoning of fairness."

Fueling the allegations of bias is the College Board's decision to announce that results of the August test as June scores. This decision makes it impossible for college admissions officers to distinguish those who took the SAT during a relatively stress-free summer from those who had to take the SAT while simultaneously preparing for final exams at school.

"They clearly feel the need to 'cover-up' what they are doing," Stone wrote. "Are they saying colleges won’t even know? That it’s okay to tamper with the testing process and change the test dates on the official reports?"

In response, College Board Executive Director of Communications Kathleen Steinfeld noted in an email to HuffPost that not all SAT tests -- such as make-up SAT exams -- occur on the precise test date under which they are listed in score reports sent out to colleges.

 

Stone has teamed up with the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) to publicly call on the College Board to cancel the summer test date.

Wake Forest Professor of Sociology Joseph Soares says that regardless of whether the August scores count under the June heading, the "exclusive and unprecedented" summer test reveals the "hypocrisy of the College Board's rhetoric about the SAT being a fair way to democratize and expand access to higher education," according to the Examiner.

The College Board decided to offer the August test after receiving numerous requests from parents, students, and educators to consider a summer exam administration, SAT Program Executive Director Matt Lisk said in a statement. The test is being launched as a pilot program "evaluating the operational feasibility of a summer administration date."

UPDATE (continued): In a formal statement that resolves days of heated controversy, the College Board announced earlier today that "it would be inappropriate for an official SAT administration" to occur in the summer" because "certain aspects of this specific program run counter to our mission of promoting equity and access." The statement concludes, "we will postpone piloting such an initiative until we can do so in a manner that better aligns with our mission and the students we serve."

See full text of the College Board's statement below:

When the National Society for the Gifted & Talented (NSGT) contacted members of the SAT® Program staff about offering the SAT through the NSGT University Prep summer program, it was viewed by those involved as an opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of a summer SAT administration, something that has long been requested by students and educators. Unfortunately, this initiative proceeded without proper consideration of whether all aspects of the program were aligned with our mission. Given what senior management has learned in the past few days, we informed NSGT earlier today that it would be inappropriate for an official SAT administration to take place at the conclusion of the University Prep program. The College Board continues to support the NSGT’s mission to provide educational opportunities for gifted and talented youth of all backgrounds. However, certain aspects of this specific program run counter to our mission of promoting equity and access, as well as to our beliefs about SAT performance. The SAT was created to democratize access to education, and innumerable third-party studies have demonstrated that SAT performance is directly related to the type and rigor of course work pursued by students during high school. To send any other message, even inadvertently, is contradictory to our beliefs and decades of SAT performance data.

The College Board was founded more than a century ago to promote access to and equity in education, and we are proud of the role our programs and services have played in helping students aspire to — and succeed in — college. As part of our mission, we regularly evaluate opportunities designed to increase college readiness and to help ensure that more students succeed in college. Whether opening additional SAT test centers in high-need urban and rural areas or introducing the rapidly expanding SAT School Day initiative that enables students to test in their home school on a weekday morning, our goal has always been to expand access to higher education for all students.

While we are still very much committed to exploring the concept of a summer administration, we will postpone piloting such an initiative until we can do so in a manner that better aligns with our mission and the students we serve. Steps also are being taken internally to ensure that future initiatives receive the appropriate level of senior management review.

 

Quick Poll

[Janice H]

This linked article questions why taxpayers are left subsidizing this non-profit.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-26/nonprofit-head-of-college-board-paid-more-than-harvard-s-leader.html

[*Michelle*]

More evidence of the college bubble.

[snowbeltmom]

This linked article questions why taxpayers are left subsidizing this non-profit.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-26/nonprofit-head-of-college-board-paid-more-than-harvard-s-leader.html

 

Thanks for the link. At least the exclusive August test date has been cancelled. Not that my $12 matter at all, but I will not be calling for AP scores this year - we will wait for snail mail.

[SheWhoWaits]

Imo, the SAT and other standardized tests are not a measure of intelligence. If they were strictly a measure of intelligence, a student would not be able to raise his score by prepping for the exams.

And they shouldn't be considered measures of intelligence. There are other tests for that. Think of the SAT and ACT as final exams for high school. They're supposed to show you've learned enough in high school to succeed in college. Which has nothing to do with the main topic of this thread, I know. Just had to respond to that comment.

Edited June 6, 2012 by SheWhoWaits
To clarifly a confusing sentence

[Lucy the Valiant]

While I understand the need for an across-the-board test to compare students from different schools and districts, the system is badly flawed. I work as an SAT tutor for a very good test prep company. Parents often pay $2,000-3,000 for tutoring, and their kids scores often go up by 300-500 points! That's an incredible advantage. I STRONGLY advise all high school students to do lots of prep in order to be competitive. There are plenty of free online sources, prep books, etc. The problem is that without the hand-holding of a course or tutor, many kids simply won't do the prep on their own. They often have no idea what they're really competing against.

 

Ditto.

 

The tests do not test what the kids know, they test how well the kids can take THAT test. It's a huge game, IMO.

 

*also a test prep tutor who also encourages home schooled kids to do prep work

[creekland]

I'm glad they cancelled the Aug test as that was rather blatantly unfair. Otherwise, anyone can prep for the test without having to pay oodles of money... they just have to want to (and many don't).

 

Our test of choice is actually the ACT and my kids tend to test well without prep due to a decent educational background (that's rather important to me). However, with prep they can score higher and that can come with loads more opportunities and potential for finances. It may be a game, but it's a game worth playing for us.

 

But we don't pay to know scores early either. ;)

[Nan in Mass]

I think a summer exam date is a HORRIBLE idea. It just feeds into the whole test/test prep cycle. I liked it better when we were in high school and just took the sat, with no prep. Yes, as homeschoolers we did prep because my children have had so very little experience with exams that I was afraid to have them take it cold, but I was well aware that we were helping to push this vicious cycle ever higher and higher. I think college bubble is not a good analogy. It seems more like a college tornado. The problem is, everyone has to step back at once and I just can't see how that is going to happen when even people like me are encouraging it by prepping. Ug. A summer score will just make it so everyone has to study during the summer instead of getting to do other more enriching things.

Perhaps they ought to decide what a "good enough" score is and not test higher than that. It seems to be the top bit that causes the most problems. What if they just stopped scoring at 600? (Not that that is a perfect idea by any means, but it might help.)

Nan

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Perhaps they ought to decide what a "good enough" score is and not test higher than that. It seems to be the top bit that causes the most problems. What if they just stopped scoring at 600? (Not that that is a perfect idea by any means, but it might help.)

Nan

 

Well, playing devil's advocate, one reason the "good enough" score idea isn't going to fly is that there are enough college who aren't looking for students who meet minimums. They are looking for students who are going to excell in what can be really challenging environments.

 

Now an SAT score that is the result of massive test prep isn't going to impress in the absence of coursework and solid grades. If it were that easy to boost scores by taking prep classes, I think there would be a higher average change in scores. From what I've seen looking at the reports for my kids, the average change is under 20 points.

 

That isn't to say that there are no students who improve scores greatly. But I think it's probably more due to greater familiarity with the test and another year's worth of math than great test prep.

 

If higher education is an industry, test prep is even more of one. And I don't think there are many test prep providers who are required to report actual average gains in scores.

 

(Put another way, if it were that easy to bring your scores up 50-100 points, I think I would see far more candidates to service academies raising their scores dramatically over the application cycle. 50 points can be the difference between ho hum and hey look at this guy. I just haven't noticed many candidates bringing up scores like this. And I'm living in an area where many candidates could have the resources to get test prep and tutoring.)

 

Put one more way, I think the most solid test prep may well be a 6th grader who enjoys reading and hasn't been told that math is something hard to be feared. (But then my idea of education reform is better libraries with books and a book of the month club and audio book of the month club for at risk students.)

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

This topic did give me pause for thought about the lack of summer SAT test date.

 

I do wonder if it is because test centers are schools and they lack employees in the summer. I also wonder about the difference in a student's score between summer and school year. Would a school year test become more valued beacuse it showed that a student could handle the pressure of classes, test prep, outside activities/sports and taking the SAT all at the same time? Or in other words, is that environment actually part of the test?

 

I don't know that test prep can teach you the knowledge required by a test such as the SAT. What it can do is make you comfortable with testing formats and teach you how to take a test. For students who rarely take standardized tests this can be an issue. Understanding the test and its format can improve your score in that it allows you to focus on your knowledge base to complete the work rather than being confused by the format and not allowing your knowledge to shine through. Of course you can accomplish this at home with a prep book from the library and a timer rather than paying thousands for a class.