A Critical Review of the College Board’s Role in the (Re)production of Financial Inequality in U.S. Education

The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to critically examine the College Board, arguing that its standardized testing systems serve as mechanisms of gatekeeping that advantage affluent students and reinforce existing social hierarchies. Drawing on Gloria Ladson-Billings’ concept of the education debt, the study reviews twenty-four (n = 24) peer-reviewed articles published between 1987 and 2025. Findings reveal strong correlations between test outcomes and family income, with inequities perpetuated through costly shadow education, operational scandals favoring wealthy students, biased governance, and historical ties to racist pseudoscience. The analysis concludes that the College Board functions as a modern arbiter of privilege, contradicting its claims of neutrality and meritocracy. While test-optional policies represent partial reforms, they fail to address deeper structural inequities. Limitations include a U.S.-only focus, reliance on secondary sources, and the rapidly shifting testing landscape. The study identifies avenues for further inquiry into the intersection of standardized testing, policy reform, and educational inequality.