The College Board: A History of Shaping College Readiness

The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that plays a significant role in shaping college readiness and access to higher education. From its inception as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) in 1899 to its current status as a multifaceted educational organization, the College Board has evolved to meet the changing needs of students and institutions.

Origins and Establishment

The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) was founded at Columbia University in the City of New York on December 22, 1899, by representatives of 12 universities and three high school preparatory academies in the states of New York and New Jersey. The organization was formed to expand access to higher education by creating clear guidelines for high school subjects and developing fair exams. Their idea was to create clear guidelines for high school subjects. They also wanted to make fair exams. These exams would help colleges decide which students to accept.

Core Functions and Programs

The College Board develops and administers standardized tests and curricula used by K-12 and post-secondary education institutions to promote college-readiness and as part of the college admissions process. The organization works with over 6,000 schools, colleges, and universities. It creates and manages tests and programs. These help students get ready for college and apply to schools.

Standardized Testing

The College Board is best known for its standardized tests, including the SAT and PSAT. The SAT is a fee-based digital standardized test for college admissions in the United States, first administered in 1926. The College Board decides how the SAT is constructed, administered, and used in the United States. Educational Testing Service (ETS) develops, administers, publishes, and scores the SAT. The SAT covers reading, writing, and mathematics.

SAT Structure and Scoring

The SAT covers reading, writing, and math. Scores range from 400 to 1600 points. There are two main sections: Reading and Writing, and Math. The digital SAT is an adaptive test, made up of 2 reading and writing modules and 2 math modules. This means the second part of a section changes based on how you did on the first part. If you do well, the next part will be harder. If you struggle, it will be easier.

SAT Fees and Waivers

Currently, the base test is $68. Various fees can accumulate-registering beyond the registration deadline results in a $30 late fee and changing a test date, center, or test type results in a $25 fee. Regional Fee' of between $43 and $53. As a result, student testing fees may run up to $200 or more for a single test. However, students from lower-income families can get fee waivers. Every income-eligible student who takes the SAT will directly receive four fee waivers to apply to college, removing a cost barrier faced especially by low- and middle-income students.

SAT Redesign and Digital Transition

On March 5, 2014, the College Board announced that a redesigned version of the SAT would be administered for the first time in 2016. The exam reverted to the 1600-point scale, and the essay became optional (previously, the test had been scored out of 2400 points). The testing process was changed to give students three hours to take the exam plus 50 additional minutes to complete the essay. Since spring 2024, all SAT tests are taken digitally. This means students use a computer or tablet. The digital SAT is shorter, taking about two hours. It also allows calculators for the entire math section.

SAT Subject Tests

The SAT Subject Tests were standardized tests intended to measure student performance in specific areas, such as mathematics, science, and history. On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued Subject Tests.

PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT/NMSQT is a fee-based standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT for a cost of $18. However, the cost may vary based on state, district, or school. The test also functions as a qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's scholarship programs. There are other versions of the PSAT, like the PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9. These are also practice tests. However, they do not qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship.

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) is an extensive program that offers high school students the chance to participate in what the College Board describes as college-level classes. These classes help students learn more and get ready for college. It also plays a large part in the college admissions process, showing students' intellectual capacity and genuine interest in learning. Students can also earn college credit for high scores on AP exams. This means they might not have to take that class again in college. The program allows many students to gain college credit for high performance on the AP exams, which cost $97 each, much in the same manner as the CLEP.

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AP Exam Format

Traditionally, AP exams are given in a school setting and last two to four hours. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board created an alternate form of AP testing for that year. Students were to take exams at home in a shortened 45-minute, open-book format.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) provides students of any age with the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses. These exams show that a student already knows college-level material.

Accuplacer

The College Board's Accuplacer test is a computer-based placement test that assesses reading, writing, and math skills. Over 1,000 high schools and colleges use Accuplacer. The Accuplacer test includes reading comprehension, sentence skills, arithmetic, elementary algebra, college-level mathematics, and the writing test, Writeplacer. There are usually no fees to take the Accuplacer test.

SpringBoard

SpringBoard is a pre-Advanced Placement program created by the College Board to prepare students who intend to take AP courses or college-level courses in their scholastic careers. SpringBoard helps students build important skills. It also prepares them for AP tests and success in college. Based on Wiggins and McTighe's "Understanding by Design" model, the SpringBoard program attempts to map knowledge into scholastic skill sets in preparation for Advanced Placement testing and college success.

Initiatives and Resources

Besides tests, the College Board offers many tools and services. These help students and parents with college planning.

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Khan Academy Partnership

The College Board is partnering with Khan Academy to provide the world with free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT. College Board and Khan Academy will build this material together for launch in spring 2015. This means for the first time ever, all students who want to take the SAT will be able to prepare for the exam with sophisticated, interactive software that gives students deep practice and helps them diagnose their gaps at absolutely no cost.

Triunfadores Campaign

In June 2020, the College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises started a campaign called Triunfadores in order to help guide primarily Spanish-speaking families through their child's college planning process. This campaign will offer funding to scholarships that are included in the College Board Opportunity Scholarship program that encourages students to apply for a chance to earn $40,000 towards their college tuition.

BigFuture

BigFuture is a free online resource that helps students plan for college, pay for college, and explore careers. BigFuture's National Recognition Program awards honors to underrepresented students, including African American students, Hispanic students, Indigenous students, and students who live in rural areas or small towns.

Bluebook

Bluebook is a secure testing application for Windows, MacOS, iPadOS, and ChromeOS. Bluebook is used to take digital College Board exams, such as the SAT, PSAT, and certain AP exams. All SAT and PSATs transitioned to digital only in spring 2024.

Unique Identification System

The College Board maintains a numbered registry of countries, college majors, colleges, scholarship programs, test centers, and high schools. In the United States, this registry is borrowed by other institutions as a means of unambiguous identification; thus, a student might give their guidance department a college's name and address and its CEEB code to ensure that their transcript is sent correctly. These numbers are called CEEB codes. In the United States, many places use these codes. They help to clearly identify schools and programs. For example, a student might use a college's CEEB code.

Leadership

David Coleman has been the CEO of the College Board since October 2012.

Criticism and Controversies

Criticism of the Board and its exams goes back to at least 1922, with a Harvard Alumni Bulletin article from prep school teacher Morgan Barnes. Since the late 1970s, the College Board has been subject to criticism from students, educators, and consumer rights activists. FairTest, an organization that advocates against over-dependence on standardized tests in school admissions, maintains that the SAT often underestimates the aptitude of African-American students and others.

Financial Aspects

In 2017, the College Board had a $140 million surplus. Budget surpluses persist despite market-leading compensation packages for the College Board's executives - in 2009, the College Board paid out a $1.3 million/year package for CEO Caperton, more than the head of the American Red Cross or Harvard University.

Scoring Accuracy

In March 2006, it was discovered that the College Board had incorrectly scored several thousand tests taken in October 2005. Although the Board was aware of the error as early as December, it waited months to respond, and in late March, schools still did not have the correct details.

Data Privacy

As of September 2021, the College Board charges $0.50 per name for access to student information. An investigation by the New York Civil Liberties Union revealed that one of the College Board's customers was JAMRS, a military recruitment program run by the United States Department of Defense. The College Board and ACT have been sued over the use of this information. In addition, there is criticism that students are not sufficiently made aware that their data is being sold, or that disclosure of certain data is optional.

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