History of College Board in Timeline

The College Board, established in 1899, is a U.S. not-for-profit organization originally named the College Entrance Examination Board. Its primary goal was to broaden access to higher education. It functions as a membership association consisting of over 6,000 educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities. Despite its name, the College Board itself isn't an association of colleges but rather manages a membership organization for various educational entities.

1905: Source Material

In 1905, text from the New International Encyclopedia was used as a source for information.

1922: Criticism from Morgan Barnes

In 1922, Morgan Barnes, a prep school teacher, criticized the College Board for 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

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

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 incorrectly scored several thousand tests.

2005: Perelman's Essay Length Study

In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman found a high correlation between essay length and essay score on the new SAT, demonstrating that longer essays received higher scores regardless of factual accuracy.

March 2006: Discovery of Scoring Errors

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

2006: Financial Ties with Hanban

Since 2006, the College Board had financial ties with Hanban.

2009: Executive Compensation Criticism

In 2009, Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) criticized the College Board for excessive profits and executive compensation, including CEO Gaston Caperton's $1.3 million earnings.

2009: CEO Compensation

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

October 2012: David Coleman becomes CEO

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

March 5, 2014: Announcement of SAT Redesign

On March 5, 2014, the College Board announced a redesigned version of the SAT to be administered in 2016, reverting to a 1600-point scale with an optional essay.

May 13, 2015: New Credential Initiative Announced

On May 13, 2015, the College Board announced a new credential initiative in partnership with Project Lead the Way to increase student interest in STEM careers.

2015: Partnership with Khan Academy

In Spring 2015, the College Board partnered with Khan Academy to provide free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT, including practice problems and videos.

2016: Redesigned SAT Administered

In 2016, the redesigned version of the SAT, which had been announced on March 5, 2014, was administered for the first time, reverting to the 1600-point scale with an optional essay.

October 2017: International SAT in China

In October 2017, an international SAT was given in China, which was later recycled and given in America on August 25, 2018.

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 that was given in China. The leaked PDF file was on the internet before the exam date.

2018: AP Test Registration Pilot Program

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 released.

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 are released.

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

In March 2020, the College Board announced the cancellation of several test dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many colleges to adopt test-optional or test-blind admissions policies.

May 2020: Glitches in AP Exam Submissions

In May 2020, glitches prevented some students from submitting their AP exams, which forced those students to re-take them in June.

June 23, 2020: Launch of Triunfadores Campaign

On June 23, 2020, the College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises launched the Triunfadores campaign to guide Spanish-speaking families through the college planning process, offering scholarships through the College Board Opportunity Scholarship program.

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, following criticism from U.S. senators.

2020: SAT Suite of Assessment Program results

In 2020, 2.2 million students participated in taking the SAT Suite of Assessment Program test.

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 where students took exams at home in a shortened 45-minute, open-book format; there were reports of disruptions such as students being unable to submit their answers.

January 19, 2021: Discontinuation of SAT Subject Tests

On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued SAT Subject Tests in the United States, effective immediately.

June 2021: Discontinuation of Optional Essay

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

September 2021: Charge for Student Information Access

As of September 2021, the College Board charges $0.50 per name for access to student information. This information was used by JAMRS, a military recruitment program run by the United States Department of Defense.

2021: SAT Suite of Assessment Program results

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

January 25, 2022: Announcement of Digital SAT

On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT would be delivered digitally with features such as a shorter testing period, more relevant topics, and calculator use for the entire math section.