History of College Board in Timeline

The College Board is a U.S. non-profit established in 1899, originally as the College Entrance Examination Board. It aims to broaden access to higher education. The organization operates a membership association comprising over 6,000 educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities.

1905: Source Material for Article

In 1905, text from the New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.) was used for this article.

1922: Early Criticism of College Board

Criticism of the Board and its exams dates back to at least 1922, with an article from prep school teacher Morgan Barnes, citing issues such as incompetence in grading 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, former governor of West Virginia, became the CEO of the College Board.

2004: Development of AP Chinese Program

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 gave several thousand tests that would later be discovered to be incorrectly scored 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, even with factual inaccuracies.

March 2006: Incorrect Scoring of Tests Discovered

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

2006: Financial Ties with Hanban

In 2006, the College Board had a financial ties with Hanban.

2009: Criticism for Executive Compensation

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

2009: Executive Compensation Package

In 2009, the College Board paid out a $1.3 million/year compensation package for CEO Caperton and also paid 19 executives more than $300,000 each per year.

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 Redesigned SAT

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

May 13, 2015: New Credential Initiative Announced

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

2015: Partnership with Khan Academy

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

2016: First Administration of Redesigned SAT

In 2016, the redesigned version of the SAT, announced on March 5, 2014, was administered for the first time, featuring a return to the 1600-point scale and an optional essay.

October 2017: International SAT Given in China

In October 2017, an international SAT was given in China, which 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 Exam Given

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

2018: Pilot Program for Early AP Test Sign-Up

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 Sign-Up

In 2019, the College Board officially rolled out the requirement for students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions are out, drawing criticism from students.

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 Digital AP Exams

In May 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board offered some exams digitally, but glitches prevented some students from submitting their AP exams, leading to retakes 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 guide Spanish-speaking families through the college planning process, offering scholarships to students with household incomes less than $60,000.

October 2020: Intention to Terminate 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 Test Takers Numbers

In 2020, 2.2 million high school students took the SAT Suite of Assessment Program results.

2020: Alternate AP Testing Format

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board created an alternate form of AP testing that had students take exams at home in a shortened 45-minute, open-book format.

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. The tests were phased out for international students the following summer.

June 2021: Discontinuation of Optional SAT Essay

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

September 2021: Charge for Student Information

As of September 2021, the College Board began charging $0.50 per name for access to student information, leading to criticism and lawsuits over data privacy.

2021: Decline in SAT Test Takers

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

January 25, 2022: Announcement of Digital SAT

On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced the SAT would be delivered digitally. The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give and more relevant. The new features of this digital version of the SAT include: a 2 hours testing period instead of the 3 hours period that has been used for the current SAT, more relevant topics that cover material that is given in college courses, and calculators will be allowed the entirety of the Math portion of the exam.