Is 'The College Board' a Nonprofit or a $1.6B Testing Monopoly?
4 hours ago
- #Standardized Testing
- #College Board
- #Education Equity
- The College Board, founded in 1900 as a nonprofit to democratize college access, now generates most revenue from testing (SAT, AP) rather than membership dues, resembling a corporate entity.
- Its financial strategies include monopolistic testing programs (e.g., SAT, AP, PSAT 8/9) generating hundreds of millions annually, and reliance on underpaid educators for proctoring and grading, subsidizing costs through public school budgets.
- Recent controversies highlight mission drift, with technical failures in digital SAT/AP exams, lobbying to preserve SAT mandates, high CEO compensation, and dilution of AP African American Studies content amid political pressure.
- The AP program offers college readiness benefits but faces equity issues: high exam costs, score inflation concerns, and curricular narrowing, with financial barriers persisting despite low-income discounts.
- Critics argue the College Board perpetuates inequities (SAT scores correlate with family income) and exploits labor, mirroring gig economy practices, while reforms like fair pay, ending young student testing, and aligning executive compensation are suggested.