David Coleman spearheaded a sweeping redesign of America's oldest
college entrance exam. His plan to act fast – and tie the test to the
controversial Common Core - stirred up internal resistance and created
new problems.
NEW YORK - Shortly after taking over the College Board in 2012, new
CEO David Coleman circulated an internal memo laying out what he called a
“beautiful vision.”
It was his 7,800-word plan for transforming
the organization’s signature product, the SAT college entrance exam. The
path Coleman laid out was detailed, bold and idealistic - a reflection
of his personality, say those who know him.
Literary passages for
the new SAT should be “memorable and often beautiful,” he wrote, and
students should be able to take the test by computer.
Finishing
the redesign quickly was essential. If the overhaul were ready by March
2015, he wrote in a later email to senior employees, then the New
York-based College Board could win new business and counter the most
popular college entrance exam in America, the ACT.
Perhaps the
biggest change was the new test’s focus on the Common Core, the
controversial set of learning standards that Coleman himself helped
create. The new SAT, he wrote, would “show a striking alignment” to the
standards, which set expectations for what American students from
kindergarten through high school should learn to prepare for college or a
career. The standards have been fully adopted by 42 states and the
District of Columbia - and are changing how and what millions of
children are taught...
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/college-sat-coleman/
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