In class, we discussed the possible benefits and drawbacks of a monopoly, including specialization leading to efficiency as a pro and the producers becoming the price setters as a con. We talked about a few industries and the companies that dominate them, like cable and cell service providers, but I felt that one that should have been mentioned was standardized testing.
Now, I should differentiate between standardized testing like STAR and CAASPP tests, which are paid for by the school and evaluate the school, and standardized testing like the SAT and ACT, which the students pay for and which evaluate students.
So, school tests first. Pearson Education is the largest education company in the world. According to Fortune, it controls 60% of the American testing market. Pearson also makes textbooks and classes. It offers programs starting from kindergarten and going into higher education. It offers programs for the homeschooled. In this sense, it is like At&t, controlling multiple markets. I has a few competitors, like McGraw Hill Education and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, but Pearson dominates the market, which might be why it is so disliked. Pearson rose to prominence thanks to the “No Child Left Behind” policy, which instituted benchmarks and requirements for students to reach. Their profits increased by 400% between 2000 and 2006. As mentioned earlier, monopoly can help with convenience and specialization but also can be bad for prices and quality. Instead of the tests becoming more holistic and fair, they have become more focused on reaching arbitrary benchmarks. This causes subjects to be crowded out of the curriculum as the school focuses on testing.
When we want to see the benefits of monopolies however, we can look towards student assessment testing. The College Board, I argue, is great at demonstrating some of the benefits a monopoly can have. I, for one, took both the SAT and ACT and am sending both scores. When I began sending out my scores, it was pretty annoying going back and forth between tabs to make sure I was completing both processes right. It would have been great for me if standardized testing had been.. standardized. What I think the greatest strength of the College Board is its convenience: I can get my SAT, subject test, and AP scores, my study books, and I can even use data from the College Board in some net price calculators. That’s not to say that College Board’s control of the market only has its benefits: like Pearson it is able to jack prices way up since most don’t have a lot of choice, however, its convenience is clearly a benefit of its near monopoly of the market.
I really like how you bring up standardized tests as a monopoly. Specifically, I like how you point out the pros and cons of the College board. I agree that the college board is incredibly convenient with regards to the college process. However, their monopoly on tests may limit the quality of the tests. Since there is no incentive to improve their tests, the SAT has evolved very little.
ReplyDeleteGood job evaluating the pros and cons of standardized testing! As students, we are encouraged to take the most challenging courses our school offers (AP), take the SAT/ACT, and SAT subject tests. AP testing is the largest focus for College board; they have a monopoly on granting college credit. For the SAT, however, students can choose to take the ACT (not College board), or not take the test at all. While it's possible that taking all these tests can help prepare us for higher education, it's also likely that these tests do nothing but stress us out and help College board earn more cash.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how you found standardized testing as a part of a monopoly market, and one that we are all currently participating in order to go to college. I agree that College Board definitely resembles a monopolistic system because it controls so many different tests that high schoolers must take. I think it is difficult that College Board primarily controls this industry because they provide very specific types of tests, which are not catered to all students. However, their biggest competitor is ACT, which allows students a different testing experience, which may be better for a students testing stregth/weaknesses. However, ACT only provides one type of test, so it is not able to control other areas of the market such as AP and Subject tests, like SAT and College Board are able to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an interesting take on the college testing monopoly. I do agree that there is somewhat of a convenience factor here with having more of a monopoly when it comes to standardized testing. However, it wouldn't necessarily be complete without us recognizing that this monopoly and test-driven education system only aids students. In fact, some studies have shown that they only increase the stress students have, as seen in the article below with AP classes.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://education.good.is/features/ap-classes-a-scam-or-smart-move
I really like your idea of talking about College Board as a Monopoly. I think that this is an important issue because it affects everyone between the ages 14-18. I found it interesting how you took all types of standardized testing as well and how you supported your arguments with valid pros and cons that we need to talk about. I agree with you on how the College Board gains money from the students because students need to be able to send their scores to colleges and without them they can't show their full potential which puts them at a disadvantage. I think this could bring up an interesting discussion on those who can't afford sending and taking the tests.
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