A History Lesson for the SAT

The SAT is a relative of the standards developed in 1900 by Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia University , and Charles Eliot, President of Harvard University. The College Presidents convinced their colleagues to develop a series of examinations to increase the preparedness of students for higher education. "The Board" was developed and education underwent drastic reforms to ensure that every student was prepared for the new standards. Only 1 out of 20 students who attended school actually finished high school, but every student took classes from the "college track." The examinations had no multiple choice questions and were administered in a diverse array of core subjects. However, due to political and social pressures the SAT was morphed into what we see today. The details of the evolution of the SAT can be found by reading The Fall of the Standard-Bearers.