SAT must add an "adversity score" that will take into account students' difficulties in admissions to the university

May 16, 2019, 19:47 UTC / Update May 16, 2019, 21:04 UTC

By Safia Samee Ali

The SAT exam, used by the majority of colleges to allow entry, will add an "adversity score" that will take into account the student's socio-economic context in order to help colleges take a more comprehensive approach to the process. 'admission.

The new measure, first published by the Wall Street Journal, aims to take into account students' difficulties that are not reflected in the test results.

"Throughout its history, College Board has focused on finding new talents." The environmental scorecard highlights students who have demonstrated remarkable ingenuity to overcome challenges. and succeed more with less – it allows colleges to see the strength of a large pan of America that would otherwise be overlooked, "said David Coleman, CEO of College Board, a nonprofit organization that oversees the SAT.

"There is talent and potential to be found in all communities – children from poor rural families, children facing the challenges of life in the downtown core and dependents of the military who face the daily difficulties of low income and frequent family service deployments to our country.No single test result should be examined without paying attention to this critical context, "he added in a statement to NBC News.

The adversity score, called the Environmental Context Scoreboard, takes into account the neighborhood, the family, and the student's school, then assigns a number to the student based of these factors.

Specifically, the score will fall on a scale of 1 to 100, with an average score of 50 – anything that surpasses the tests.

The calculation, which will be sent to colleges but will not be shared with students, will be based on the neighborhood's crime and poverty rates, as well as their parents' income level. The race is not a factor in the score, according to the College Board.

The adversity score also adds additional context to a student by including the average number of AP courses taken and AP test scores, as well as the percentage of eligible students for a free lunch and discounted rate. , according to the College Board.

The College Board has already run a test of the adversity score program in 50 schools, according to the newspaper. The program will be officially expanded to 150 additional schools by the end of the year, and plans are to add more by 2020.

The results of the pilot program were positive in part because they provided decision makers with more context so that they could take a more holistic approach to decision making, according to the College Board.

"We are proud that the results of our pilot project show that the use of environmental scorecard increases the likelihood that students who demonstrate strength and resourcefulness in overcoming challenges are more likely to be able to work. to be admitted to college, "said Coleman in a statement.

The addition of an adversity score comes as part of a national debate on the ethics of college admissions.

In March, several people were indicted in connection with a university admissions scandal, which included the use of a professional SAT candidate and access to testing premises.

Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday, confessing that she had paid thousands of dollars for getting wrong answers during her daughter's SAT exam, which resulted in an improvement remarkable score of the PSAT, announced the prosecutor.

Georgetown University has expelled two students for their involvement in the same scandal relating to admission to the university.