A powerful New York State senator took aim at the College Board on Tuesday, criticizing it for a series of recent scoring errors on the SAT and calling for greater government oversight of college-admissions tests, The New York Times reported this morning.
Speaking at a hearing, the senator, Kenneth P. LaValle, a Republican, said “the industry cannot regulate itself,” after hearing excuses from representatives of the College Board and the contractor that was responsible for the mistakes, which it blamed on damp answer sheets (The Chronicle, March 24). The scoring glitches have led to at least one lawsuit (The Chronicle, April 10).
The senator, who has a history of pushing for more transparency and accountability in the testing industry, said he would propose legislation requiring the College Board to disclose all questions and answers, at no charge, after an exam; to respond to complaints within a few days instead of a few weeks; and to take more action to assure quality control.
