SAT Examiners to Introduce ‘Adversity Score’ to College Admissions Test

The College Board, which oversees the SAT standardized exam used by most U.S. colleges during the admissions process, plans to introduce an “adversity score” for every student taking the test, The Wall Street Journal reports. The new number will be calculated based on 15 factors ranging from local poverty levels and crime rates to the student’s family background. The students will not be shown this score, but it will be included in the results sent by the SAT examiners to the schools a student applies to. The new scoring system, which was beta-tested with 50 colleges last year, has been criticized by some groups who believe it will only widen the race and class divide in college admissions. Others believe it will help level the playing field among applicants. “There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less [on the SAT] but have accomplished more,” David Coleman, chief executive of the College Board told the Journal. “We can’t sit on our hands and ignore the disparities of wealth reflected in the SAT.”