March 28, 2023

This is the story of what began on a summer morning, July 18th, 2026. A full-page ad appeared in The New York Times presenting a bold challenge to the College Board, a non-profit mainstay of educational measurement, in the form of an ultimatum from a group of concerned citizens with financial means:

For the next five years, our organization offers to purchase, and place in escrow, the AP scores of all students who take these exams, on the condition that you may release them to students and colleges only after the annual admissions cycle has ended and the students have been admitted to college. Thus, students will still be eligible for placement credit upon enrollment, but the applicable scores will no longer be a criterion in the admissions process. Colleges will see the AP courses on the student’s high school transcripts, but there will be no record of the exam score until after an admissions decision is made. In the event that there is a drop in demand for AP testing as a result of this new practice, we will match your income level from the previous year. 

This offer is good for one month, and sufficient funds have been anonymously deposited into a trust account at a major bank. They will contact you. If rejected, we will use the funds to form a new non-profit entity, called the High School College Credit Board (“HSCCB”), for the accreditation and articulation of high school AP and Honors courses in the 24K high schools that would result in college credit equivalency. The goal is to return control of assessments to schools and teachers and open the door for new ways that curriculum can be formulated, sequenced, assessed, and verified.

The management and editorial staff of Intrepid Ed News was live with a moderated panel, analyzing the probabilities of various outcomes and the potential implications for schools and families. They were 24 hours ahead of the one-month deadline.

Moderator: What are we to make of this ultimatum that has gripped the nation?

Publisher: The High School College Credit Board is an inspired idea. This is real policy. 

Editorial: It certainly is popular.  Support has started flowing in from thousands of educators. We have never had quite as many articles and comments on our digital platforms. 

What I’m hearing from educators is that this group of wealthy…