Clearing a path for all students to own their future

The founding promise of America is that hard work and courage matter more than your circumstances. To claim that opportunity, you need a witness — someone to recognize and reward your talent. Today, far too many of America’s most promising students get overlooked by college admissions officers because they don’t live in the right places or attend the right schools. They become invisible.

We can see so much more when we look beyond test scores alone. Adding context — information about a student’s neighborhood and high school, the environment where they grew up — we can spot talent in unlikely places. Promising students get the opportunity they deserve to attend college.

Miami-Dade County has made remarkable progress in student achievement across the district in recent years, proving that ability and ambition aren’t limited by zip code.

The College Board’s Environmental Context Dashboard (ECD) is driven by the same insight. Since 2017, we’ve worked with 50 colleges and universities to make more comprehensive data about a student’s environment easily available to admissions officers.

The ECD doesn’t change anyone’s SAT score, and it does not guarantee admission. It simply helps admissions officers more clearly see students who deserve a second look — the kind of consideration we routinely give wealthy, well-advantaged students.

Adversity is common, but resourcefulness is rare. With this new tool, we’re telling students they can reach the heights of achievement even when they grow up in challenging circumstances.

We’re doing our part to preserve the fundamental promise of the American Dream, the promise that no one is counted out from the beginning, the promise that everyone deserves to be seen.

– David Coleman, CEO, College Board, New York