By CAITLIN GALLAGHER April 1, 2021
In recent years, many high school students have questioned the role that College Board plays in their high school academics. Many were outraged that they had to pay exam fees to take a forty minute exam that was entirely virtual, and some even called for the AP exams to be cancelled last year. Many felt that the testing was unfair, and that some people had advantages that others didn’t. Luckily, it seems that College Board will be switching some things up in 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Collegeboard is making major changes for the exam season of 2021. This week, the College Board announced that this year, every student taking their exams will be allowed to have a personal assistant while taking the test. In the past, it was only the wealthy who could afford people to sit and take the tests for them. However, this year every student taking a College Board exam will have someone to take the test for them. College Board is finding the best and brightest people to sit for these exams, and they claim this is the best way to even the playing field when it comes to exams. According to one representative: "Let's not kid ourselves, a lot of the value of a college education is about who you get to know, not what you learn. If you already know some people that can ace your exam, why not put it to use?"
The change does not stop at letting students cheat on exams. College Board has been inspired by the actions of Lori Loughlin, and plans to send a rowboat to every highschool in America so that their students can get their pictures taken in it. Even if they have no connection to the school’s rowing team, Collegeboard wants to ensure that people from all different economic backgrounds have an opportunity to lie about what extracurricular activities they are interested in. In a statement they released, Collegeboard said, “We feel that the right to hire a personal test-taker and to lie on a college application should be one that all students are entitled to.” Clearly Collegeboard is taking their program in a more positive direction, and many students are extremely excited about this change.
In unrelated news, the Croton Harmon Dressage team is looking for members!