AETR's One-Year Anniversary!
30 March 2010 - Thanks to your support, AETR has had an outstanding first year. Every day we march closer to reform in the standardized testing industry!
ETS tax return received
15 Feb 2010 - AETR is now in possesson of ETS's 2008 tax return. Check back soon for the updated figures.
Seeking ETS's 2008 tax return
15 Jan 2010 - AETR has filed a request with the IRS for ETS's 2008 tax return See the filed Form 4506-A
IRS responds to complaint filing
12 Nov 2009 - IRS confirms the complaint request is being processed but "cannot disclose the status of any investigation." Read the IRS letter
New Material
22 Aug 2009 - Check out AETR's updated pages on big profits, exorbitant pay, paid trustees, and political lobbying.
ETS complaint filed with IRS
20 June 2009 - AETR requests the IRS revoke ETS' non-profit status (See the Letter to IRS and Form 13909)
AETR Exposé Release
10 May 2009 - AETR releases its first official exposé: "America's Corporate Guinea Pigs - How ETS Exploits GRE Test-Takers"
First Petition Signature
8 Apr 2009 - The Americans for Educational Testing Reform petition gets its first signature
Website Launch
30 Mar 2009 - AETR.org successfully lauched
Just released: America's Corporate Guinea Pigs - How ETS Exploits GRE Test-Takers (AETR)
College Admissions Testing: The Real Beneficiaries (FairTest.org)
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Millions of Americans have taken an exam with one of the "Big 3" non-profit testing companies:
1) ETS (Educational Testing Service)
2) ACT Inc
3) College Board
(Their exams include the SAT, ACT, CLEP, AP, GRE, TOEFL, and other exams)
These monopolistic corporations consistently and shamelessly take advantage of American students and aspiring professionals for financial gain, and have been doing so for many years.
The young Americans that take exams from the Big 3 are not typically customers by choice - they are almost invariably required (by academic institutions or employers) to take specific exams from the Big 3. As a result of this captive customer base, the Big 3 enjoy unbreakable natural monopolies in many testing areas.
Furthermore, the Big 3 are essentially government-endorsed monopolies as a result of the "non-profit" status that the IRS has granted each of them, which effectively immunizes them from prosecution under antitrust law (and, as a bonus, gives them a huge advantage over their struggling for-profit competitors).
The Big 3 have taken full advantage of their special circumstances, and enjoy enormous financial rewards from their exploitation of powerless American students and young professionals:
• Big profits
• Exorbitant executive compensation
• Salaries for governing board members (against IRS guidelines)
Worst of all, Americans across the country have been asking for reform from the Big 3 testing companies for decades. Apparently integrity and fairness are too much to ask for, because the Big 3 have only responded by acting with even greater disregard for ethics and accountability. Clearly, the Big 3 do not deserve their non-profit statuses.
The Big 3 have violated their promises for too long. AETR is here to stop them from getting away with it any longer. Their non-profit statuses should be revoked for abuse, and they should become subject to oversight that will ensure they can no longer exploit the young Americans that are required to take their exams.
To ensure the fair treatment of American standardized test-takers, from high school students to graduates and advanced professionals. This means ensuring that the Big 3 non-profit companies that administer America's largest standardized tests maintain reasonable prices, ethical practices, and, above all, a steadfast commitment to their promise to serve American students and educators as not-for-profit organizations.
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