The College Board's New Essay Reverses Decades of Progress Toward Literacy

By DENNIS BARON

Those of us who took the SAT remember what we got on that test, even if we took it long ago. On the other hand, few of us recall our high-school GPA, and the permanent record that was supposed to follow us forever has vanished without a trace. But the score that propelled us into the college of our choice, or kept us out,...