The SAT exam will add an adversity score to reflect test-takers' social and economic backgrounds, the Wall Street Journal reports.
It will be calculated based on 15 factors, including crime rate and poverty of the student's high school and neighborhood. Colleges will see the scores when going through applications, but the students won't know their scores.
The New York Times reports that the adversity score is meant to account for factors such as socioeconomic disadvantages or educational advantages.
“We’ve got to admit the truth, that wealth inequality has progressed to such a degree that it isn’t fair to look at test scores alone,” David Coleman, the chief executive of the College Board told the Associated Press. “You must look at them in context of the adversity students face.”
Colleges have voiced concerns that admissions decisions have been more favorable for higher-income families with better-educated parents, or families with a white or Asian background.
The adversity score would be based on a number between 1 and 100, with a student who is average scoring a 50. The plan is to factor in the score for 150 schools officially this year and at a larger scale in 2020, according to the New York Times.
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