College Board to extend using PSAT for merit scholarships

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Trustees of the College Board voted unanimously Thursday to continue to use the PSAT as the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship Program, despite criticism that using the practice test for the SAT to pick winners is unfair.
According to a statement issued by the nonprofit College Board, the trustees made their decision after hearing a report from a subcommittee studying aspects of the test.
The five-year contract to use the test is renewed annually, the College Board said. But this year, the decision came amid complaints that using the test in the selection process for National Merit Scholars harms the poor and racial minorities, who on average score lower than whites on standardized tests.
The College Board co-sponsors the scholarship program with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
A faculty committee at the University of California, the institution whose criticisms of the SAT partly prompted the College Board to revamp that test, has asked UC campuses to reconsider their participation in the program.
According to the College's Board statement, the trustees affirmed the role of the test as "one of the College Board's most powerful equity and access tools" but "agreed the questions that have been raised are complex and sensitive and require additional thoughtful study."
Every year, 15,000 semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships are chosen based on PSAT results. Finalists are then chosen using other factors including essays, academic record and letters of recommendation.
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