“We have a crisis in education" said Coleman who takes over as President of the College Board in October

David Coleman says the College Board’s mission
goes beyond measuring and testing to “designing high-quality
curriculum.”

The New York Times

By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: May 16, 2012

David Coleman, an architect of the common core curriculum standards that are being adopted in nearly all 50 states, will become the president of the College Board, starting in October.

The College Board, a membership organization of high schools and colleges that administers the SAT, the Advanced Placement program and other standardized tests, helped design the standards — an outline of what students should learn in English and math from kindergarten through high school — meant to ensure that all high school graduates are prepared for college.

Mr. Coleman’s new position will involve a continued focus on college readiness. “We have a crisis in education, and over the next few years, the main thing on the College Board’s agenda is to deliver its social mission,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. “The College Board is not just about measuring and testing, but designing high-quality curriculum.” Read More

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French University Joins College Board

The New York Times

PARIS — The Institut d’Etudes Politiques, better known as Sciences Po, one of France’s most prestigious universities, has become the first French public institution to join the College Board, the nonprofit American organization that oversees the SAT exam and Advanced Placement program.

As a new member of the College Board, Sciences Po, which specializes in humanities and social sciences, will be better able to recruit students in North America and beyond. “Our American students often came from French high schools,” said Peter Gumbel, who runs the Center for the Americas at Sciences Po, “so now, it makes us more visible among the rest of the American population.”

The students from Sciences Po will also benefit from a large network of high school counselors, who will help them in their education plans.

The College Board, which was founded in 1900, has about 5,900 members, a majority of which are based in the United States. In addition to its testing operations, the College Board runs programs that seek to increase achievement by poor and minority middle and high school students.

Sciences Po has a total of 9,600 students. The university also offers dual degrees with American universities like Columbia, Johns Hopkins and Northwestern.

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Ron Denaro is the president of College Campus Trips, a tour company providing high school students with tours of college campuses, nationwide. For more information, call (954) 567-5751 or e-mail: ron@collegecampustrips.com

If you don’t know the answer, then guess.

The New York Times

Leave No Bubble blank

Come May, the next sitting for Advanced Placement exams, the College Board is switching to right-only scoring: each correct answer counts; no deductions for wrong ones. By guessing, you have a 20 or 25 percent chance of getting it right, depending on the number of answer choices.

The new scoring mirrors other standardized tests, except the SAT. A wrong answer there comes with a 0.25-point deduction. The College Board, which owns both tests, is changing only A.P.

Psychometricians advised that right-only scoring would simplify year-to-year comparisons as new exams are phased in, according to Trevor Packer, vice president responsible for Advanced Placement.

I'm Ron Denaro and thanks for joining College Campus Chatter today!

Ron Denaro is the president of College Campus Trips, a tour company providing high school students with tours of college campuses, nationwide. For more information, call (954) 567-5751 or e-mail: ron@collegecampustrips.com