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    • The graph shows the math score distribution by race or ethnicity and highlights the race gap in SAT mathematics

The Real College Board: Inequalities in Standardized Testing

Zoe Sommer ’23
On May 13, students across the country breathed a sigh of relief as AP (Advanced Placement) exams officially ended.
During the preceding two week period, students of all backgrounds, from all types of schools took AP exams, cumulative tests on information they’ve learned since the start of the school year. This period is extremely stressful –– trying to remember eight months of information on multiple subjects can feel like an impossible task.

All AP exams are run by the College Board, a 501(c)3 non-profit that creates and circulates the SAT, AP curriculum, and provides students resources to help connect them to colleges. As APs gained more relevance during the past month, attacks on the College Board came to light, leaving students and educators wondering how much the College Board actually cares about “[connecting] students to college success and opportunities,” as their mission statement advertises.

A common critique of the College Board is the exorbitant testing fees students must pay to take the SAT or AP exams. Currently the registration fee to take the SAT is $55, while the fee for AP exams ranges from $96 to $144. On their own, these fees might not seem too bad, but it is estimated that high school students in America take an average of eight AP classes, and most students also take the SAT two to three times. These expenses add up to a total of $1,118, and that doesn’t account for cancellation fees or additional AP classes. According to the 2019 AP Cohort Data Report,1,245,527 students in public high schools nationwide took a total of 4,269,670 AP Exams, generating at least $537,978,420 in profit . Additionally, the College Board is a 501(c)3 organization, which means they get federal tax exemptions due to their “charitable work.” This vast revenue begs the question: Where does all this money go? Although the College Board does fund programs such as BigFuture, a college search site, and various scholarships most of the revenue is spent in selfish ways. According to The Real College Board (therealcollegeboard.org), in 2019, College Board CEO David Coleman made $1.67 million, while nine other high-ranking members made over five hundred thousand dollars. Furthermore, despite the fact that the College Board generated $58 million during 2019, it still received $6.7 million in Government grants. The College Board also uses profits to fund overseas investments; according to The Real College Board, between 2011-2019, the College Board sent $1.32 billion dollars to the Caribbean, the money most likely going to hedge funds in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven. Furthermore, the College Board has an obligation to be transparent about their finances as a 501c(3), an obligation they have clearly ignored. Organizations like the College Board, supposedly designed for public service, should not be an additional source of income for high- net-worth individuals, especially if they are receiving Government assistance, money that could be used to improve an infinite number of issues Americans face today.

Another facet of this issue resides in the ways in which the SAT and AP exams put students in underprivileged communities at a distinct disadvantage, strengthening the barriers these students face when trying to pursue higher education. Students from wealthier families, who have greater access to tutors and review materials, are more likely to do better than students in underprivileged communities who don’t have access to these kinds of materials. According to the National Equity Atlas, students of color are more likely to attend high-poverty schools than white students, and statistics regarding student SAT scores also reflect these facts. According to Brookings, 43% of Asian, 45% of white, six percent of Hispanic or Latino, and one percent of Black test takers scored above a 700 on the math portion of the 2022 SATs. There was a higher concentration of white and Asian students at the top end of the overall score distribution and a higher concentration of Black, Hispanic, and Latino students at the lower end of the score distribution. Top universities across the nation mostly select students with the highest SAT scores, and this uneven score distribution furthers the under representation of Black and Hispanic or Latino students at selective universities. To quote Andre Perry, a writer for Brookings, “standardized tests are better proxies for how many opportunities a student has been afforded than they are predictors for a student’s potential.”

As I learned about the blatant corruption present in the College Board and the massive inequities this institution perpetuates, I started to think about how Hopkins and other prominent private schools aid this harmful organization. Hopkins is committed to providing students with the highest quality education possible, and AP classes certainly contain advanced material that reflects well on students applying to colleges with rigorous academic programs. However, Hopkins also seeks to foster a diverse and accepting atmosphere that helps students become constructive members of society. It is therefore against Hopkins’ principles to support such a corrupt, detrimental organization. At Hopkins we are blessed to have incredible teachers, with amazing experience in their respective fields. This atmosphere of academia and intellect combined with Hopkins’s $193 million endowment means the school has all the resources necessary to create classes with curriculum just as rigorous as the curriculum taught in AP classes. In addition to distancing the school from the College Board, these classes would also allow teachers to explore their subjects in greater depth, and tailor the course to the class’s particular interests, allowing students to cover material that they find most engaging and best preparing them for higher education and their future careers.
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