Hampshire does not require the SAT for admission and uses a comprehensive portfolio assessment system instead of grades. He wants the site to serve both as a forum and as a resource for people to learn more about this important issue affecting their community. Abrahamsen has invited all Hampshire College students, faculty and staff to participate, plus two groups of younger students in Amherst school classes. To ensure balance and a variety of opinions, invitations to participate have also been extended to representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Education and to professionals in assessment and curriculum design from area school districts. The site has several features that help participants find and organize information and it provides visual cues about the flavor of the ongoing discussion.
Participants can specify whether their response is fact, hypothesis, opinion or question.