College Board – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

College Board

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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WISE Score

The high-stakes administrative hub every college-bound student eventually has to wrestle with.

College Board

Website

51%

WISE Score

The high-stakes administrative hub every college-bound student eventually has to wrestle with.

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Screenwise Verdict

College Board is the DMV of education. You don't go there because you want to; you go there because you have to. It's a massive, bureaucratic machine that manages the SAT, AP exams, and the CSS Profile. While it’s technically 'safe' from a content perspective, it is the primary source of digital anxiety for millions of teenagers.

From an intentionality standpoint, the goal isn't to 'limit' this—it's to manage it. You want to be the co-pilot here. Help your kid navigate the data privacy settings (specifically the 'Student Search Service') and keep an eye on the mounting fees. It’s a utility, not a destination, so treat it with the same enthusiasm you’d give to filing taxes: get in, do the work accurately, and get out.

Age Fit

Designed strictly for 13-18 year olds navigating the U.S. college admissions pipeline. It's a professional, adult-facing interface that assumes a high level of literacy and organizational skill.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's the digital embodiment of academic stress. While not 'toxic' in a social sense, the high-stakes nature of the platform and its monopoly on college admissions milestones don't exactly foster emotional well-being.

Imaginative

This is a world of rigid forms, standardized bubbles, and administrative checklists. There is zero room for creative expression here—it's about compliance and data entry.

Safe

As a non-profit, they maintain high security standards and ISO certifications. However, they are a massive data collector; parents should be careful with the 'Student Search Service' which shares data with colleges.

Enriching

The AP curriculum and BigFuture planning tools offer genuine value for college readiness and financial aid, but the site itself is more of a gatekeeper than a teacher.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

AP Score Management is the only way to get those hard-earned college credits actually applied to a transcript.
BigFuture is a surprisingly decent search engine for finding colleges that actually fit your kid's stats and your budget.
Financial Aid access through the CSS Profile is a necessary (if painful) step for many private university applications.
Digital SAT tools provide free practice through Khan Academy integration, which levels the playing field for test prep.

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What to Watch For

The Student Search Service is an opt-in that sounds helpful but essentially sells your kid's data to college marketing departments—prepare for a flooded physical mailbox.
Bluebook App requirements mean your kid's device needs to be locked down and updated specifically for test day; don't wait until the morning of the SAT to install it.
Fee Creep is real; between late registration, score reports, and AP exam fees, the costs add up quickly if you aren't tracking them.

Conversation Starters

"Does seeing your PSAT scores make you feel motivated or just overwhelmed?"
"Which colleges on the BigFuture list actually look like places you'd want to live, not just names on a ranking?"
"How do you feel about the 'Student Search Service'—do you want the college brochures, or should we keep your info private?"
"Is there an AP course you actually care about, or are we just doing this for the GPA boost?"

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