College Board Cancels August Test Date

[mevsthesat]

The New York Times is reporting that the controverisal August test date offered only to gifted students willing to pay $4,500 has been cancelled. A spokewoman for the College Board said, "Unfortunately, this initiative proceeded without proper consideration of whether all aspects of the program were aligned with our mission.”

Here's the link to the article:

College Board Cancels Summer SAT for Select Students, Calling It 'Inappropriate' - NYTimes.com

[Erin's Dad]

I think they meant "without consideration of the impact of bad press..."

[blahblah9393]

Good news, but wouldn't have been done without the negativity and outrage it stirred up.

[astults13]

It sounds like they were trying to pin it off as a pilot test -- conveniently right after the school's prep class ends, and only for them. And why would you even need a pilot test for offering the SAT in August? Makes no sense.

[RedSeven]

The College Board is a terrible organization that needs to be stripped of its non-profit status. It charges exorbitant prices and pretends to be a non-profit while paying its executives corporate salaries. And the only charitable service it provides is waiving fees that only exists because it charges them.

[jandjdad]

If they wanted to try a pilot program, offer it nationwide at about 100 spots in August (open to all) to gauge the response rate. Then they could get some data to make a decision whether to continue it. To offer it only to the uber rich smacks of elitism and not too well thought out program.

[ttparent]

They act like a for-profit business. I can understand and live with the test fees, but the score sending fees and the way they schedule the result date and deadlines for registering for the next tests and the late/rush fees, besides being way too high, are obvious strategies to get more money out of people. In my estimation, they are trying to expand their business and venture into this lucrative test prep industry. But it is just not possible, the appearance of conflict of interest is very damning, they want to be paid handsomely for improving their clients score on a special test that they offer exclusively at an expensive camp.

[FawkesGoldman]

It would be too bad if this were the death of their summer testing ideas, just because a pilot program got some bad press.

Additionally, paying 4500 dollars for an SAT is absolutely absurd. Screw those kids.

[cheerioswithmilk]

I like the idea of an August test, but doing it only for 50 students who shelled out 4.5 grand was disgusting. Hope they make it a real date, but open to everyone.

[mevsthesat]

I agree, the August test date would be a great idea. It would give juniors the chance to study all summer long and then take it in August, and then if needed, again in October. Lately the College Board has really made some major mistakes. There was the cheating scandal in New York, cancelling 200 test scores in Brooklyn, and now scheduling a program for the rich and gifted at Amherst. If the College Board took an SAT test on PR, they would be lucky to get a 1500.

[kwu]

#16 “Gifted” Children Stuff White People Like

Families aren't paying $4500 for a special administration date. They are paying $4500 for a summer program.

[iluvbooks94]

Good. I'm glad they got so much negative press.

[alwaysleah]

kwu, but the test still required $4500 by default, because it was part of the summer program package. Clearly that makes the test unavailable to all but the very wealthy, which is unethical.

[Kieran0696]

They weren't paying $4500 for the test; they were paying it for the classes and tutoring, which nearly everyone on this site can agree, is a complete waste of money. Taking a test in August really isn't THAT big of a deal. It's not unfair; it's just different. People are trying to make this out to look like CB is giving rich kids an unfair advantage by offering this test, when in a actuality, most of those kids will score around the same on the August test as they would on the October test, but whatever.

[alwaysleah]

It's not just about the score, it's also about the stress free environment and ability to get it out of the way in summer. It IS unfair for only wealthy students to be offered that option.

The $4500 is an issue because it stands as a barrier for middle and lower class students - whether or not it's the actually price of the test, no one can dispute the fact that it is an issue that closes the opportunity to a large part of the population.

When something is offered specially to a group of people and not others it is unfair. Of course the world isn't fair, but we should be trying to move toward it, not away from it.