History of College Board in Timeline

The College Board is a U.S. non-profit, originally established in 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board, with the goal of broadening access to higher education. Though not a college association itself, it operates a membership association comprising over 6,000 educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities. Its primary function is to connect students to college success and opportunity.

1905: Source Material

In 1905, text was incorporated from the New International Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.

1922: Early Criticism of the College Board

Criticism of the College Board and its exams dates back to at least 1922, with a Harvard Alumni Bulletin article by prep school teacher Morgan Barnes. Barnes criticized general incompetence in grading, excessive focus on exam preparation, and overreliance on exam scores.

1926: First Administration of the SAT

In 1926, the SAT, a fee-based digital standardized test for college admissions in the United States, was first administered.

1999: Gaston Caperton becomes CEO of the College Board

In 1999, Gaston Caperton became the CEO of the College Board. He was a former governor of West Virginia.

2004: Development of AP Chinese Language and Culture Course

In 2004, Hanban and the College Board developed the "AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam" program.

October 2005: Tests Incorrectly Scored

In October 2005, the College Board had incorrectly scored several thousand tests. The error was discovered in March 2006.

2005: Correlation Between Essay Length and Score

In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman found a high correlation between essay length and essay score on the new SAT after studying released essays.

March 2006: Discovery of Incorrectly Scored Tests

In March 2006, it was discovered that the College Board had incorrectly scored several thousand tests taken in October 2005.

2006: Establishment of Financial Ties with Hanban

Since 2006, the College Board had financial ties with Hanban. In October 2020, the College Board announced its intention to terminate these ties.

2009: Executive Compensation

In 2009, the College Board paid out a $1.3 million/year compensation package for CEO Caperton.

2009: Criticism for Executive Compensation

In 2009, the consumer rights organization Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) criticized the College Board for excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation, noting that CEO Gaston Caperton earned $1.3 million.

October 2012: David Coleman becomes CEO of the College Board

In October 2012, David Coleman became the CEO of the College Board, replacing Gaston Caperton.

March 5, 2014: Announcement of Redesigned SAT

On March 5, 2014, the College Board announced a redesigned version of the SAT, set to be administered in 2016. The exam reverted to the 1600-point scale, and the essay became optional. Students were given three hours to take the exam and 50 minutes to complete the essay.

May 13, 2015: New STEM Credential Initiative Announced

On May 13, 2015, the College Board announced the release of a new credential initiative in partnership with Project Lead the Way, aimed at increasing student interest in STEM careers.

2015: Partnership with Khan Academy for Free SAT Prep

In spring 2015, the College Board partnered with Khan Academy to make free test preparation materials available for the redesigned SAT. This included a preparation application with practice problems and videos.

2016: Redesigned SAT First Administered

In 2016, the redesigned version of the SAT was first administered. The exam reverted to the 1600-point scale, and the essay became optional.

October 2017: International SAT Given in China

In October 2017, an international SAT was given in China. It was later recycled for the August 25, 2018 SAT in America.

2017: College Board Surplus

In 2017, the College Board had a $140 million surplus.

August 25, 2018: Recycled SAT Given in America

On August 25, 2018, the SAT given in America was a recycled October 2017 international SAT given in China. The leaked PDF file was available on the internet before the exam.

2018: Pilot Program for Early AP Test Registration

Starting with a pilot program in 2018, the College Board required students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions were out.

2019: Official Rollout of Early AP Test Registration

In 2019, the College Board officially rolled out early AP test registration to all schools, requiring students to sign up for AP tests in the fall before early-round college decisions were made.

March 2020: Cancellation of Test Dates due to COVID-19

In March 2020, the College Board announced the cancellation of several test dates during the spring of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This led many colleges to temporarily or permanently adopt test-optional or test-blind admissions policies.

May 2020: Glitches in AP Exam Submissions

In May 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the College Board began offering some exams digitally. Glitches prevented some students from submitting their AP exams, forcing them to retake them in June.

June 23, 2020: Launch of Triunfadores Campaign

On June 23, 2020, the College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises launched a joint public campaign called Triunfadores to help primarily Spanish-speaking families through their child's college planning process.

October 2020: Intention to Terminate Financial Ties with Hanban

In October 2020, the College Board announced its intention to terminate financial ties with Hanban, in place since 2006.

2020: Alternate Form of AP Testing Due to COVID-19

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board created an alternate form of AP testing. Students took exams at home in a shortened 45-minute, open-book format. Reports of disruptions occurred during the exams.

2020: SAT Suite of Assessment Program Results

The 2021 SAT Suite of Assessment Program results showed that 2.2 million high school students took the test in 2020.

January 19, 2021: Discontinuation of SAT Subject Tests

On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued SAT Subject Tests, effective immediately in the United States. These tests measured student performance in specific areas like mathematics, science, and history.

June 2021: Discontinuation of Optional Essay Section of the SAT

After June 2021, CollegeBoard discontinued the optional essay section of the SAT.

September 2021: Charge for Access to Student Information

As of September 2021, the College Board charges $0.50 per name for access to student information, and has received backlash for these practices.

2021: SAT Suite of Assessment Program Results

The 2021 SAT Suite of Assessment Program results showed that 1.5 million high school students took the test, compared to 2.2 million students in 2020.

January 25, 2022: Announcement of Digital SAT

On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT would be delivered digitally. This change aims to make the test easier to take, easier to administer, and more relevant. New features include a shorter testing period (2 hours), more relevant topics, and calculators allowed throughout the math section.