The College Board, the nonprofit organization that creates the SAT tests, said they were replacing a planned “adversity score” with a less comprehensive “Landscape” program which does not include a score.
“We listened to thoughtful criticism and made Landscape better and more transparent,” David Coleman, the CEO of College Board, said in a statement Tuesday. “Landscape provides admissions officers more consistent background information so they can fairly consider every student, no matter where they live and learn.”
The adversity score as originally planned included 15 factors, such as crime rates, neighborhood poverty, and high school quality, to form a score to show the level of hardships that SAT test-takers face. The score would have only been available to colleges and not students. The goal of the score was to counteract higher scores by wealthier students.
The “Landscape” program will provide both colleges and students information about the student’s high school and neighborhood. The new program seeks to achieve similar goals as the adversity score without giving a specific score.
The SAT is one of the top two exams nationwide that colleges use to assess applicants.
