College Boards

Citing the dire economic condition of many schools and states, the College Board will delay launching an eighth-grade assessment test designed to gauge students' readiness for college. The test had been scheduled to premiere this fall, but school districts and states, facing cutbacks, were unable to afford it, a spokeswoman said.

Swamped by unemployed workers and students shut or priced out of four-year institutions, the Los Angeles Community College District experienced an 11% jump in enrollment this academic year, to 135,000 students. But increased interest in the nine campuses of the district, which stretches from Sylmar to San Pedro, has not translated into buzz about the May 19 elections for two seats on the Board of Trustees.

One seat on the board of the Los Angeles Community College District went to a runoff after the March election. For Office 6, incumbent Nancy Pearlman far outpolled her nearest opponent, Robert Nakahiro. But with five challengers running, she fell just short of securing the majority needed for an outright win. The Times endorsed neither candidate; Josef Essavi, who drew a couple hundred fewer votes than Nakahiro, appeared to be the most dynamic and informed candidate.

The College Board is supporting legislation that would offer some undocumented youths a path to citizenship through college or the military. The association best known for the SAT and AP tests it administers is stepping into the contentious issue for the first time, just as President Obama is signaling that he may encourage lawmakers to overhaul immigration laws this year. The board's trustees have voted unanimously to support the legislation, known as the Dream Act.

Former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who ran L.A.'s schools for six years, has joined the College Board as a senior advisor. The New York City-based nonprofit develops and markets the SAT and the Advanced Placement exams, among others. In his new job, Romer, 80, will work closely with former West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton, the president of the College Board, who called Romer "one of the most talented, knowledgeable persons on education around the country."

Where are all the knowledgeable people with a passion for bringing higher education to the masses? Too few of them are running for the board of the Los Angeles Community College District. It's not that the four contested seats need more candidates. Fifteen people are seeking seats in the at-large election; six are vying for one spot alone. But if the incumbents tend toward complacency about the operation of the colleges, their challengers tend toward ignorance of it.

It's arrivederci after all for Advanced Placement Italian. Despite a spirited fundraising campaign by Italian Americans in Southern California and across the country, the effort to save the AP exam in Italian has failed, at least for now. The language exam for high school students trying to win college credit will be suspended after this spring's testing because not enough money was pledged to subsidize it, College Board officials in New York said Wednesday.

The Italian American community in California and across the nation has a few words for the College Board: Salviamo il nostro esame! The "save our exam" battle cry is at the core of a campaign to rescue the Advanced Placement test in Italian Language and Culture. The College Board launched the exam with fanfare just three years ago but now is threatening to kill it unless donations are found to support it and the number of test takers increases. "It's a formidable task we are facing.

Long Beach businessman Randal Hernandez has become the fourth member of the state community colleges board to step down in the year since the panel angered Republican lawmakers by endorsing legislation giving illegal immigrants access to student financial aid. Just two days before his reappointment was to be heard by the Senate Rules Committee, and having been warned by Republicans that his appointment was in trouble, Hernandez notified Gov.

The president of the California Community Colleges board is expected to step down after state Senate Republicans on Monday blocked confirmation of her appointment by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on grounds that she had voted to support tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. Board President Katherine "Kay" Albiani is the third member of the community colleges board of governors in the last six months to lose her position over the board's controversial vote on illegal immigrants.