While the College Board and ACT have become synonymous with the SAT and ACT respectively, the test makers strive to contribute much more than their flagship exams to the challenges of education, equity, and college and career readiness. Amy and Mike invited journalist Jon Marcus to explore all the ways College Board and ACT are changing.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What are some little-known but substantial aspects of the test makers’ business models?
2. What are the College Board and ACT doing to diversify?
3. How successful have these organizations been in pivoting from their flagship exams?
4. What threats and challenges do the test makers face?
5. Are the SAT & ACT going away any time soon?

MEET OUR GUEST

Jon Marcus is a higher-education editor at The Hechinger Report and also writes for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired, NPR, and other magazines, newspapers, and websites. Marcus holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College, and attended Oxford University. He teaches journalism at Boston College and Northeastern University.

Find Jon at [email protected] or on Twitter at @jonmarcusboston.

LINKS

A Test for the Test Makers

As admissions season descends, wealthier applicants again have the advantage

Desperate for students, colleges resort to previously banned recruiting tactics

RELATED EPISODES

WHAT COLLEGE BOARD AND ACT ARE DOING RIGHT

KEEPING STUDENT DATA PRIVATE

THE HISTORICAL MISSION OF THE SAT

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.