2020 AP exams controversy

The 2020 Advanced Placement examination controversy involved College Board, a nonprofit education company, allegedly performing a series of potentially illegal activities, including phishing students and creating unfair testing conditions.[1][2] Estimates indicated that 4,914,000 AP tests were taken online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some experiencing technical difficulties while submitting their examinations.[3][4] In response, a lawsuit was filed against the College Board alleging breach of contract, gross negligence, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit was subsequently administratively closed pending the outcome of arbitration between the College Board and the plaintiffs. [5]

Controversies

Previous controversies

The College Board has received criticism for its high exam fees, the sale of student data in 2019,[6] the recycling of past SAT Exams,[7] reporting errors, and alleged monopolistic business practices. The company has also been accused of violating their non-profit status because of its high executive compensation.[8][9]

COVID-19 pandemic and controversy

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board announced the cancellation of several SAT exams scheduled for Spring 2020 as well as the creation of an online at-home AP exam.[10][11] Online AP examinations were open-note and lasted only 45 minutes. Many students reported issues with the online exams and more than 10,000 students had to retake the exams as a result.[12] The College Board was also criticized for administering the exams during times inconvenient for students outside of the contiguous United States with exams in some countries like Japan and South Korea being scheduled at 3:00 a.m.[13] In response, the College Board has offered free CLEP testing to students overseas who were unsatisfied with their scores.

Lawsuit

On May 16, 2020, a class-action lawsuit joined by FairTest was filed against the College Board based on alleged breaches of contract, gross negligence, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.[14] An earlier lawsuit alleged that the company used "unfair and deceptive means" to sell student data.[15] On October 30, 2020, a judge granted a motion by the College Board to send most of the lawsuit's claims to arbitration, because nearly all the students represented in the suit had taken the AP tests, which included signing an agreement to resolve claims by arbitration. [16]

References
  1. Kircher, Madison Malone (May 17, 2020). "Students Think College Board Is Running a Reddit Sting to Catch AP Test Cheaters". Vulture.
  2. Altavena, Erin Richards, Samantha West and Lily. "Amid coronavirus, AP exams went online and had tech problems. College Board says it's investigating". USA TODAY.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Snouwaert, Jessica. "Nearly 10,000 students ran into issues submitting their AP exams because of technical glitches". Business Insider.
  4. "Students complain that they cannot submit AP tests | Inside Higher Ed". www.insidehighered.com.
  5. "Order on Motion to Stay Case" (PDF). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  6. Wang, Douglas Belkin | Graphics by Elbert (2019-11-05). "For Sale: SAT-Takers' Names. Colleges Buy Student Data and Boost Exclusivity". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  7. "Taking the SAT is hard enough. Then students learned the test's answers may have been leaked online". Los Angeles Times. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  8. Costello, Carol. (December 29, 2009). "Educating America: The big business of the SAT", CNN. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  9. "College Board Leader Paid More Than Harvard's". Americans for Educational Testing Reform. Bloomberg. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  10. "Coronavirus Pandemic Complicates College Plans For High School Students". www.wbur.org.
  11. Hess, Abigail (17 March 2020). "The SATs have been canceled through May because of coronavirus". CNBC. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  12. Strauss, Valerie (May 15, 2020). "College Board says new online AP tests are going well — but students report big problems". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-05-15. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  13. Group, JOCE STERMAN and ALEX BRAUER, Sinclair Broadcast (2020-04-21). "Coronavirus change has students taking rigorous AP exams in the middle of the night". WJLA. Retrieved 2020-07-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. "College Board says AP testing was a success, is sued | Inside Higher Ed". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  15. "New Lawsuit Claims College Board Illegally Sold Student Data". WTTW News.
  16. "Order on Motion to Stay Case" (PDF). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
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