A/P class & Testing Costs???Does your school require?

[mamacatnv]

I was just writing yet another check to the high school and was curious about the A/P policies around the Country.

Our district says any student can take A/P classes, they do not have to "test" to get into them as long as they meet the pre-requisites.

The students must take the A/P exams which we parents have to pay for at $85-120 ea.

If the student does not take the exams then the A/P class designation is removed from their transcript.

Personally, I have an issue with this but it is the policy and we have no choice, so I was curious to see what other school districts do.


Thanks

 

[reesa roo]

My daughter has taken several AP classes. We do not pay extra to take the class. We pay $83 per exam to take the AP exam at the end of the course. The school does not require the students to take the AP exam but colleges require the exam results in order for the student to receive college credit. We are finding most colleges require at least a score of 3 to receive college credit. She will have 18 college credits when she enters college in the fall of 2007. This will take care of some of her required college classes. I think $83 per class is a good deal!

 

[Pam]

At our high school there is no cost to take the class and the test at the end of the year is $60.00 or $80.00 dollars. If the student passes the test with a score of 3 or above, most of the fee is refunded to the student a couple of months later.

The students are not required to take the test - but without it (and a passing score) the colleges will not give credit.

If they don't take the test, the AP class is still reflected on their high school transcript.

 

[TexasAggie]

At my daughters public high school, the only fee is $20.00 for each Ap exam.If they make a score of 3 or better, the student receives $100 for the first exam and then $200 for the other exams she made 3's or better on. She'll be getting a check for $700 in October for last years exams and start with 16 credit hours when she starts college the fall of 2007 and still has her senior year of AP classes to go!

 

[Spoodleink]

Fees
The fee for each exam is $83.

Occasionally, extreme circumstances make it necessary for students to test late using an alternate form of the exam. Depending on the reasons for late testing, schools may be charged an additional fee, part or all of which the school may ask students to pay. Learn more about late testing.

Note: If you are testing at a school that is not your own, the Coordinator may ask you to pay a different fee to recover the additional proctoring and administration costs.

Fee Reductions
Fee reductions of $22 per exam are available from the College Board for students with financial need. In addition, schools forgo their $8 rebate for each fee-reduced exam, making the final fee for these students $53 per exam.

In addition, virtually all states offer exam subsidies to cover all or part of the cost. Learn more about state and federal subsidies.

For internal purposes, such as an audit or invoice verification, a state may request from the College Board the names of its public school students who receive fee reductions; in such cases, the state will agree to maintain the confidentiality of such data.

Check with your AP Coordinator to learn more about fee reductions and state and district subsidies.

Refunds
You may ask for a refund if you do not begin an exam for which you have paid. Local school policy determines the amount of the refund. You will probably be required to pay the $13 fee the school is charged for each unused exam. Once you begin an exam -- that is, write on an exam booklet or answer sheet -- you cannot receive a refund.

Grade Reporting Services
Initial Grade Report Free
Grades by Phone $8 per call
Additional Grade Reports $15 per report
Rush Grade Reports $25 per report
Free-Response Booklets $7 per booklet
Multiple-Choice Rescore Service $25 per exam
Grade Withholding $10 per grade/per college
Grade Cancellation None

Here is the information on the cost of the fees from the college board website, I saw this on your post on the registration fees thread and wondered why you were paying more for the test then it is listed as costing.

When I took AP classes we did not have to take the exam we had a mtg with our teachers to discuss taking it. We paid directly to collegeboard a few weeks before taking the exam.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

we have a smaller school and for most of the subjects they don't offer Honors AND AP sections. So alot of the classes are labeled "AP" but many of the students in there have no intention of ever taking the AP exam. We pay the AP fee if they take the AP test.

 

[Sandy V.]

Our school requires payment of approximately $85 to take each AP exam. If you take the course, you are required to take the exam.

For us, it was money VERY WELL SPENT, as DD did well enough to test out of 38 hours of college prerequisites. She's starting college in a few weeks, but almost has enough credit hours to be a second semester sophomore. We spent around $500 for her to take 6 AP exams, but she saved us THOUSANDS of dollars in tuition and fees.

 

[yearbook50]

I was lucky. My high school program forced me to take 10 AP Classes and paid for me to take the AP exams. They also paid for the IB examinations.

Too bad I went to a college that doesn't accept too many credit b/c of the way that the structure is I can only graduate a semester early if I choose too.

 

[teacherforhi]

My system does not require students to pay any fee for AP exams.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

At our public high school in Maryland, if you take the AP class you are required to take the AP exam at $82 per exam. Both DD and DS entered college with a full semester of credits.

 

[ead79]

When I was in high school (it's been a while now--I graduated in 1998), I took lots of AP courses.

We were not required to take the AP exams for every AP course we took. This is a policy that I 100% support. Not having to take the AP Calculus exam, for example, gave me more time to prepare for the AP English exam, which I ended up receiving a 5 on. I knew I wouldn't have done well on the AP Calc exam, so it only makes sense to prioritize. To me, it can only serve to hurt a school's AP exam scores if they require students to take exams that they don't feel like they will do well in. Plus, it spreads the students too thin trying to prepare for a test that they know they won't pass.

I can't for the life of me imagine why a school would remove an AP designation from a class if a student doesn't take the AP exam. Since these exams aren't graded by the schools themselves, then why should they care? Are they going to remove the AP class designation from anyone who scores below a 3 on an exam? The student still had to complete all the same level coursework as the students who did take the AP exam, so the class was equally difficult for each student.

As far as payment goes, our parents paid for the exams up front. Our state then decided what percentage of the tests they would pay for and that amount was refunded to us in the form of a check at the end of the school year. My parents let me keep the refund check, so it was a happy day!

 

[monarchsfan16]

At my high school to get into the class we had to be approved by the teacher before that class (sophomore English approved us for junior year AP English, etc). Basically we had to meet certain prerequisites
Once in the class we did not have to take the exam, but in most classes we were really encouraged to. Our parents had to pay $83 per exam, but if there were financial issues, the guidance department issued fee waivers (all through collegeboard).
State colleges will usually grant credits with any passing score. Ivies generally will only grant credits to scores of 5 (the highest), and schools in between usually vary between a 4 and a 5 for a passing score
I took 3 AP classes in high school and got 3 threes. Considering the year I'd had (sick most of the year, difficulty with a couple of the classes, and issues outside of school), I was ecstatic. I go to the University of NH, and they would have granted me 12 credits (4 per exam), but I dropped the English one and chose to take freshman English simply because I wasn't confident in my writing. Despite the fact that if I had kept those credits I would have been considered a sophomore for registration purposes second semester, and would have been able to register sooner second semester of each year, I have no regrets in dropping those credits. And despite the classes I struggled through, the test anxiety, etc, I have no regrets in taking those tests. I am very glad I had one science gen ed (of 3 required) taken care of before I started school, and my history gen ed was taken care of as well, through the AP credit. Gives me more freedom to take classes I want to take. My parents feel that the money they spent was well spent as well

 

[wnissen]

The Berea (west of Cleveland, OH) makes students pay for any exams they take. A great deal if you're going to a school that accepts the credits, but as others have said those credits might not be worth anything (except to help you get in in the first place). The school I ended up attending, Harvey Mudd College, will accept the credit for AP Calculus BC (the harder test with sequences and series) if you get a 5. The other exams are accepted for placement (take an elective instead of English 101, for example).

I was more than a little disappointed to turn 5s in English, Government, and Calculus AB into pretty much nothing, I tell ya.

Walt

 

[jsmith]

our high school-in metropolitain Denver colorado requires that students recieve teacher approval prior to enrolling in AP classes. They are required to take the exam at the end of the year to recieve the additional weighting in their GPA-the fee charged is $85-83 for the college board fee and $2 process fee-if the student recieves a 4 or a 5 they are refunded the cost of the test. DONT count your college credit hours before they are hatched-not all universities give credit hours for AP exams-some give credit for only 5s and so on-my older son had taken 7 AP classes and recieved 4 or 5 on all the exams-he got one semester each of american and european history _for 5s-two semesters of enlish-for a 5-no credit for chemsitry or phyisics-and one semester of calc. My second son-who is a senior this year got 4s in chemistry and american history and a 5 in AB calc-rather that risk loosing the credit for BC calc he is taking calc II at a community college-if he recieves an A or B the school district will re im burse the tution-an much better value than the AP exam.

 

[mamacatnv]

Thanks guys, a lot of interesting responses. The one thing you all have in common is the $83 cost. Hummmmm, I wonder if our district is trying to pad that a little? I wonder if they can?

I guess what gets me is the "must" take the test or lose the A/P designation. That just irritates me.

My DS took a European History class as a Sophomore, it was originally designated as an A/P class, then at the last minute the books were not available so they took it to an Honors level but offered to let the kids take the A/P exam stating the curriculum was the exact same. My son had a solid B+ to A- all year in this class so I forked out the bucks and he took it only to score a 2. Other than the experience of an A/P test, this was a waste of money in my book and he didn't even get the benefit of an A/P designation on his transcripts.

I do understand how IF they get college credit it can be worthwhile. I also agree with the poster that pointed out how there were some areas she was stronger in and that is where she put her study power opposed to having to spread it all over. Plus, if you know where you want to go to college, maybe take the tests that you know that school will take and skip the ones they won't. Although, with our District, that is not possible due to the "must" take rule.

In regards to the price - I am not positive what our exact costs will be, whenever we ask we are told $85-120 ea. This is also what all the parents were told at the A/P parent night in the Spring. What the school requires we do is make a deposit on each class and then we have 3 more payment dates where we have to pay 1/4 of the cost. My deposit which I just got the invoice for was $30 ea, this would equal $120 per test. Maybe the last installment will be for less than the 1st 3.

And WOW to those of you that get a refund or a cash incentive to do well!!! You all must be in those school districts or states that were discussed last week on the "Fees for public school" thread that don't have fees

 

[Nancy]

My oldest took AP French and it was a college run class so I paid tuition for the class of 190.00 PLUS her exam was 80.00.
This year number 2 has several AP classes, I have no clue if they are free or not, I've gotten nothing in the mail yet. Each exam is 80.00 and they need the exam to get a grade.

 

[christineann]

I thought the test fees were set by the national board - I had no idea that some schools or states could give a refund. Competition was very fierce to get into the classes at our school. Those tests cost a fortune, but the reward was about a year's tuition for each of my kids. It was definitely not the easy way to do high school, but well worth it.

 

[TheDoctor]

My older two went to a private school and we paid the testing fee for each exam.

Why take an AP course and not take the test? It is the test that gets you college credit. My son got 21 hours at a private university and my DD got 33 or so hours of credit at a state university.

 

[jazstar87]

i took ap courses but not the exam.....but the cost were $80 per test

 

[DenMig]

Why take an AP course and not take the test? It is the test that gets you college credit. My son got 21 hours at a private university and my DD got 33 or so hours of credit at a state university.[/QUOTE]



I teach AP chemistry. I encourage all of my students to take the exam but not all do and really not everyone should. I think it is great for everyone who has entered college with credit, however, I still think the kids who took my class but not the exam will have a strong background if and when they take college chemistry. ( at least I hope so )/ Therefore I don't feel that it is a total waste to take the course and not the exam. Just my two cents.