OPINION: College Board or College Bully?

By Jordyn Pykon

Slaving over college books after school, attending test prep classes, and meeting with a private tutor are perhaps the best ways to improve your score on the SAT and the ACT--that is, if you have the money for it. Founded in 1900, the College Board prides itself on its seemingly wholesome message; as the company puts it, “the College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.” As of 2014, the College Board has grown into an 840.7 million dollar industry, and its retired president--Gaston Caperton--earned over one million dollars each year.

Photo Credit: Curvebreakers Test Prep

Before a student takes a College Board test, the proctor always restates a specific part of the organization’s mission to students: “The membership association is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.” But how accurate is this assertion? With the privileged students of America seemingly able to buy SAT points through expensive types of tutoring, the testing process is anything but equitable. Many students feel like their score reflects their intellect, meaning the test can actually hurt the mental well-being of its customers. Arguably, the College Board capitalizes on the anxieties of American students. And it’s not only the tutoring that is expensive: Some families cannot afford high-tech calculators for the test, putting them at an even larger disadvantage despite the College Board’s claim that the entire test can be done without a calculator. Paradoxically, the SAT actually does not stand for anything. The SAT previously stood for “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” but the test didn’t predict success in college; as a result, the College Board dropped the meaning of the name but decided to keep the acronym.

“We and our prospective colleges must aim to put less emphasis on a single test. ”

Besides the exorbitant price of SAT tutors and the college prep books, the College Board also adds extra fees for services such as rush reporting, exam date changes, and the question and answer service. The College Board reaps the rewards of the stress of privileged students while depriving those from low-income households of the chance to obtain a score that represents how hard they’ve worked. 

You may call me resentful of this process—given that I am a senior who has taken these tests and just submitted her application to college—and you are not wrong. But I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we and our prospective colleges must aim to put less emphasis on a single test.

Photo: College Board

Photo: Kaplan Test Prep