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How often are homeschool students unable to take AP exams due to no testing site in big cities?


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I haven't run into this in Denver.  If you call College Board they can give you names of high schools giving the tests.  If my local school doesn't offer the particular test we just call around.  However, I understand that this may be more difficult in areas that are less kind to homeschoolers.

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It is really dependent on the area. I have lived in a county where the ps were paying for 50% of the AP cost and paid for my homeschooled student's as well. The county over wouldn't let homeschoolers test in their schools and those families had to seek out private schools. The answer is that no one else's answer is really going to matter. The only answer that matters is your local reality.

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I would call schools now, and find out what they will do.  You can tell them you are deciding on the student's schedule for next year and want to be able to plan in advance.

 

Be sure to ask if it is contingent on the school having enough space, or if you can be guaranteed a spot as long as you pay.  I would also ask about the specific AP exam you want to take, not just about APs in general.  Some schools will order any test for you, others will only let you take a test they are already giving.

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For the DC area, we found that VA high schools were open to non-registered students and had no issue. I think the registration is a 5-10 day period in early Feb. I would call and get points of contact and timelines early in the year. I tended to call in Oct for AP exams and in April to ask about fall PSAT.

 

Fairfax Co has some high schools that are IB schools. They offer fewer AP exams than do schools that have AP but no IB program. Woodson HS is one in particular that was friendly.

 

I don't know what they are open to wrt exams for courses they don't offer. I do know that Latin and German were still available available when we left the area.

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For the DC area, we found that VA high schools were open to non-registered students and had no issue. I think the registration is a 5-10 day period in early Feb. I would call and get points of contact and timelines early in the year. I tended to call in Oct for AP exams and in April to ask about fall PSAT.

 

Fairfax Co has some high schools that are IB schools. They offer fewer AP exams than do schools that have AP but no IB program. Woodson HS is one in particular that was friendly.

 

I don't know what they are open to wrt exams for courses they don't offer. I do know that Latin and German were still available available when we left the area.

What about folks in DC metro who do not live in Virginia?

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What about folks in DC metro who do not live in Virginia?

I don't think that would necessarily be an issue. I thknk when i was exploring it i asked about students from other VA counties. You should also contact Mont Co schools, which has a heavy AP emphasis. Within DC I wouldn't hesitate to ask private schools, even pretty select schools. My kids are testing at one of the most exclusive and expensive private schools in our state. They have been very helpful and welcoming. Don't assume a no before it's given.

 

For what it's worth, I play a couple cards when I call. I say the students are homeschooled but enrolled in an officially recognized AP course ( so far that has always been the case). I mention that I realize there will be a test fee and possibly a proctor fee (especially important if they do t normally offer the test). If they say no I ask if they can refer me to a school that could help. I usually start with schools listed in the AP course ledger as offering the class.

 

This last time for AP Euro I found that no e of the public schools were offering it. I ended up referred to the state DOE AP coordinator. She ended up referring me to the dean of the public school and told me to tell him that she had sent me to them.

 

In email follow ups I also mention that my kids are familiar with standardized testing and have no accomodations.

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Call in December. In some cases they register early because of state testing and spring college testing.

 

Also try the Catholic and classical schools. They may require a proctor fee.

 

We had a horrible time last year because I delayed on Latin until February. The College Board list really didn't help me.  I literally called every public and private high school within five counties, and finally found one further away through a contact I had at a classical cottage school.

 

Thankfully my next kid wants ones that are offered locally! As long as they are giving it to one of their own, it isn't a big deal to get it locally if you call in December to reserve and pay in January.

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It is really dependent on the area. I have lived in a county where the ps were paying for 50% of the AP cost and paid for my homeschooled student's as well. The county over wouldn't let homeschoolers test in their schools and those families had to seek out private schools. The answer is that no one else's answer is really going to matter. The only answer that matters is your local reality.

This! Our problem is two fold - rural, and in a state with major funding crisis and schools routinely cutting AP's to give the faculty more remedial courses because merit funding is tied to graduation rates. The philosophy is that the smart kids will graduate anyway, the average student doesn't take AP's, but more remediation makes sure the bottom performing students still earn enough credits to graduate. Thus fewer, and fewer testing sites, and more and more students from outside districts self studying or taking online courses and then competing for the limited testing seats. Couple that with administrators who may be anti-helping the homeschool student , and it creates a lot of difficulty.

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This! Our problem is two fold - rural, and in a state with major funding crisis and schools routinely cutting AP's to give the faculty more remedial courses because merit funding is tied to graduation rates. The philosophy is that the smart kids will graduate anyway, the average student doesn't take AP's, but more remediation makes sure the bottom performing students still earn enough credits to graduate. Thus fewer, and fewer testing sites, and more and more students from outside districts self studying or taking online courses and then competing for the limited testing seats. Couple that with administrators who may be anti-helping the homeschool student , and it creates a lot of difficulty.

I left feedback on the AP college board site that AP tests should be available at testing centers as other national tests are from what I understand. It is ridiculous to be at the mercy of local schools. Doesn't the college board want more test takers?? Geesh.

 

We should all leave feedback on the college board AP site.

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I left feedback on the AP college board site that AP tests should be available at testing centers as other national tests are from what I understand. It is ridiculous to be at the mercy of local schools. Doesn't the college board want more test takers?? Geesh.

 

We should all leave feedback on the college board AP site.

Oh, they have my feedback. The College Board customer service reps and I have talked many times!

 

I do think that it is an equal access issue. But, it's not just homeschoolers either. The local PS kids don't have anything that approximates equal access educationally speaking. Education is just not enough of a priority with politicians and policy makers to address the issue of equal access.

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What I would do now is look at the AP Ledger at the College Board site to see which schools have an approved AP course on their ledger.  You will want to look at which schools offer the AP courses you are interested and which schools offer a large number of the tests (as they may be more friendly.)  I would start calling the school you are zoned for if they are offering tests, simply because you have the "I pay taxes" argument on your side.  Ask to speak to the testing coordinator for AP.  Most other officials will not know what the school policy is concerning these tests.  When I called my local school to find out if my oldest could take an AP exam there. the assistant principal said absolutely not.  But, I found out that other non-public school kids were able to, so I went further and found out that the previous info was wrong.  Our local school is very friendly to homeschoolers taking any exams they offer and would arrange for other exams if I paid a proctor fee.  When we were searching for a place that offered the AP Latin exam, our local school did not offer it.  I called the private schools in our area and they were not accommodating AT ALL.   Even the Catholic high school that gets support from our church, which shocked me.  We ended up finding a high school about 40 minutes away that offered it and was very welcoming. 

 

ETA:  Just and FYI ... I am not from the DC metro area.  This is just general info for anyone looking to get access to AP exams. 

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This is a good point, about asking if other "non-public school students" can take exams there.  Sometimes smaller private schools will send some of their students to the local bigger public school if they have just one or two students taking an exam that they aren't offering, but that the public school is.  So, that could help work in your favor.

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Wow- this sucks for so many.  I am definitely feeling blessed that it is easy for us.  I should set up sleeping bags in my basement and let everyone come here for 2 weeks in May!   ;)

 

:iagree:

 

I'm really so happy with our local public school. This year ds is taking two AP exams that the school doesn't offer (AP calculus BC and AP physics C). They are happy to help him out, and they're organizing both tests just for him.

 

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For the DC area, we found that VA high schools were open to non-registered students and had no issue. I think the registration is a 5-10 day period in early Feb. I would call and get points of contact and timelines early in the year. I tended to call in Oct for AP exams and in April to ask about fall PSAT.

 

Fairfax Co has some high schools that are IB schools. They offer fewer AP exams than do schools that have AP but no IB program. Woodson HS is one in particular that was friendly.

 

I don't know what they are open to wrt exams for courses they don't offer. I do know that Latin and German were still available available when we left the area.

 

 

There may be a reason VA is friendly for homeschoolers to take AP exams. According to state law (section 22.1-254.1.F):

 

"F. School boards shall implement a plan to notify students receiving home instruction pursuant to this section and their parents of the availability of Advanced Placement (AP) and Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) examinations and the availability of financial assistance to low-income and needy students to take these examinations. School boards shall implement a plan to make these examinations available to students receiving home instruction."

 

Wonder if there are similar laws in some other states.

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There may be a reason VA is friendly for homeschoolers to take AP exams. According to state law (section 22.1-254.1.F):

 

"F. School boards shall implement a plan to notify students receiving home instruction pursuant to this section and their parents of the availability of Advanced Placement (AP) and Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) examinations and the availability of financial assistance to low-income and needy students to take these examinations. School boards shall implement a plan to make these examinations available to students receiving home instruction."

 

Wonder if there are similar laws in some other states.

 

That is wonderful. There definitely is not a similar law in Missouri.

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That is wonderful. There definitely is not a similar law in Missouri.

 

I'm in Missouri too. I don't know about the law, but our local school just told me that dd can take the test there and that they could also order a test for a course that they do not offer. Of course, we haven't actually done it yet to test the truth of this. The counselor I spoke to told me that, one year, they ordered a test for someone from another part of the country who was visiting here at the time of the exam. Maybe there is somewhere in the surrounding area that will be more helpful. I sure hope it works out here as I was told!

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