THE COLLEGE BOARD STANDARDIZED TEST
WHERE PRIVACY GOES TO MARKET
Are you a student who has taken the SAT test or an Advanced Placement exam? Well, congratulations, because you are now a data point in the College Board's vast database of student information. And what do they do with all this data, you may ask? They sell it to Facebook and TikTok, of course!
That's right, the College Board has been caught using invisible tracking technology called "pixels" to share students' SAT scores and GPA data with these social media giants. And while they deny sharing any personally identifiable information, Gizmodo's tests have shown otherwise. So much for privacy, am I right?
But who do these standardized tests really serve? Is it the students who are trying to get into college and better their futures? Or is it the billionaires who seem to be the ones benefiting the most from these tests?
Let's take a closer look. The College Board claims to be a non-profit organization, but that hasn't stopped them from raking in millions of dollars in revenue each year. And where does that money go? Well, it certainly doesn't go towards improving the tests or making them more accessible to students from low-income backgrounds.
No, instead it goes towards lining the pockets of the College Board's executives and board members. According to a report by ProPublica, the organization's CEO, David Coleman, made over $1 million in 2017 alone. And that's not even counting his stock options!
So while students are struggling to pay for test fees and study materials, the College Board is busy cashing in on their data and making their executives rich. It's no wonder that many students and parents are fed up with the system and are calling for change.
But what can be done? Well, for starters, we can demand that the College Board be held accountable for their actions. They should be transparent about what data they collect and who they share it with. And they should be required to obtain explicit consent from students before sharing any of their information.
In addition, we can push for alternative methods of assessment that don't rely on standardized tests. After all, these tests have been shown to be biased against certain groups of students and don't necessarily measure true academic potential.
So let's stand up to the College Board and their slimy tactics. Let's demand a system that serves students, not billionaires. And let's do it with a sense of humor, because sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.
The College Board Tells TikTok and Facebook Your SAT Scores https://gizmodo.com/sat-college-board-tells-facebook-tiktok-your-scores-gpa-1850768077
