In May of this year the College Board added an adversity score to the SAT.  This is a score from 1-100 which represents the overall disadvantage level of a student based on social and economic factors associated with a his or her school and neighborhood.  However, it does not consider race.

Many opponents to this idea cite various flaws including students whose parents struggle to put them in a more affluent neighborhood with better schools or those who are of color and face discrimination in these schools.  Those who face adversity unrelated to socioeconomic reasons were categorically ignored.

To address selected concerns the College Board has added a color test to the SAT.  Students will be required to identify their skin tone based on a color wheel chart on the first page of the exam.  Based on the result, students will only take certain parts of the exam.

Michael Washburn, spokesman for the College Board, explained, “We’re still working out the chinks in the system.  No pun intended.  Those mixed race kids are going to be difficult to figure out.  Or people like Kamala Harris who is actually Jamaican and Indian yet identify as African American.  And then there’s sunburn, Indian burn, jaundice.” 

Quickly Mr. Washburn elaborated, “But to ensure integrity of the exam, we will ask follow on questions after the color test.  For example, ‘What is your favorite picnic food?  Is it watermelon, hummus, goldfish, or rice?’” Determined to shed the reputation of creating an exam which favors the affluent, the College Board pledges to continue innovation in selective discrimination.  Mr. Washburn concluded, “If our government can’t find a way to fix our social inequality, the College Board is ready to help diversify students’ scores to whatever is needed.”