Free labor for the College Board and more angst for the kids

I won't be teaching my regular classes tomorrow. I'll be meeting all my kids but classes will only be 12 minutes long.

So, how will my colleagues and I spend the rest of the day?

Proctoring the PSAT.

This has always been a sore point with me. Back in the day, many schools, Stuy included, offered the PSAT on the weekend. If you wanted to proctor, you'd come in and get paid a little extra. As a kid, if you wanted to take the exam you'd come in as well.

I don't remember when it changed but at some point it did. The DOE decreed that if you offered the PSAT during the week on school time, the DOE would pay for the exams. This was done under the ridiculous idea that all kids taking a test that counts for nothing is a good thing. You can make a claim that having taken the PSAT gives the kids some familiarity with the SAT but the SAT's value as a predictor of college success is questionable at best anyway.

Of course, setting things up like this is a great deal for the College Board. It looks like they get a $15 per kid cash cow every year from the NYC tax payers. It's a hidden expense so no one complains but we keep shoveling the money out the door.

What's worse is that we also provide the College Board with free labor - rather then spend my day teaching my kids I'm working for free for the College Board administering their test to my kids.

Teachers do the work, kids suffer through the exam, and the College Board laughs all the way to the bank.