According to the La Times, the college board that controls the SATs made a big mistake when it made a deal to allow a special sitting to a group of students set to attend an expensive SAT preparatory course at Amherst College in Massachusetts. The College Board was given the opportunity to correct their mistake, and they pounced on it.
Last week, an editorial blasted the board for giving this to privileged students. The three week preparatory course costs over four thousand dollars. The SAT test was intended to even the playing field when it comes to college admissions, letting this group have such an advantage was counterproductive and made others question the integrity of the board and the test itself.
The officials on the College Board then went on to defend their decision by claiming that the program was in testing mode and the action was intended to help them work out flaws in the preparatory program.
Earlier this week, the College Board seemed to have a change of heart and put the piloted program on hold without mention of whether or not they will pick it back up- and if so when. They stated the sit in may have been a mistake that was not aligned with the mission of the board. The letter they sent out acknowledged that proceeding in the way they did was a bad decision and was carried out without much consideration and was not thought through on their behalf.
The College Board pointed out that the SAT was created with the goal to democratize the process of college admissions in order to provide the same quality post-secondary educational opportunities to all gifted students. They stated that they are in the process of exploring other options and that steps are being taken to ensure that in the future- programs will be more carefully thought through.
Basically, the higher-ups on the College Board were probably scolded over the move to allow a sit in to students that could afford their pricey prep program and were told to pull the plug.
About Elizabeth L. Puckett