Caraway Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 I am considering allowing my student to abandon this year's AP exams. Is anybody else making this choice? On one hand I feel like we should finish what we started. On the other hand this production is exceeding my willingness to put up with the CB. I feel like their need to make money/stay relevant is overshadowing their desire to give a fair and equal test. Thoughts? Opinions? How are you all handling this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 I was thinking the same thing about the SAT2 test my freshmen were signed up for. I doubt the June date will happen because even if CB were good with it I don't see our local schools opening up for that. That leaves the August date, and who wants to keep reviewing this stuff all summer? I don't think the Jake and risk of a poor showing is worth it. At least for you all the course title combined with the year will provide a pretty clear story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 (edited) Same here, thinking about letting DS drop his AP exam. I don't think the exam they have proposed will be fair and I am not convinced colleges will even widely accept it. And even worse, all the threats about what they will do to you if they suspect you of cheating give me pause. It makes me think of the cases in the past year or two where kids were accused of cheating on SAT or ACT exams and what happened to them. Just accused and assumed to be guilty with no way to defend yourself. I think DS will probably take CLEP instead, if one can be scheduled this summer. His college accepts CLEP in addition to AP. ETA - He already has several DE credits and was planning on this one AP exam only for the potential college credit. So he would have taken the class regardless but doesn't "need" it to show rigor on transcript. Not that big a deal for him to dump the AP exam. Edited April 7, 2020 by TarynB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Considering it. Ds just does not shine on the FRQ's. He had the multiple choice to a point where I felt like we were going to get them down, then get him through on the FRQ's. He's terrible at tricky questions and honestly, I think they're going to make them tricky. It feels less and less worth it. I might want him to focus on doing some other engaged things with the subject instead of trying for this half-baked test, which will definitely take up his energy if he does take it. He's not a kid who can just blow through one of these. He is also really grieving about ballet and I just... I don't feel like I want to push him. He's a bit a of a mess. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Yes. DD has enough credit in that area that she was only doing it to get an AP exam on the transcript. But I don’t think a single FRQ for APUG is going to be as good of a reflection of her abilities as her DE credits from two schools in history are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 We are going to take them. If we had DE credit, I wouldn’t bother, but I would rather my kid took an exam and have some sort of a score than have nothing to show for all the hard work this year. We are in CA and scores are one way to satisfy UC A through G requirements. DE is another way, but we didn’t go that route for personal reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 I have 2 who will be taking them. I applaud the collegeboard for trying to salvage something out of all this mess for the students. It certainly would have been better to do the normal format but nothing is normal about all that is happening. I just pray mine do well and are able to get their credits. My state has reduced DE funding so AP credits will be useful for college credits. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 Ds will take his. He’s in Lukeion Latin so I feel like he’s as prepared as he could be, all things considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 My DD will take English Language and Art History. She’s a strong essay writer, so the FRQ-only format should work to her advantage. What a bizarre turn of events, though. I’ll be very happy to wrap-up this school year and start anew next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted April 9, 2020 Author Share Posted April 9, 2020 On 4/6/2020 at 7:27 PM, Farrar said: Considering it. Ds just does not shine on the FRQ's. He had the multiple choice to a point where I felt like we were going to get them down, then get him through on the FRQ's. He's terrible at tricky questions and honestly, I think they're going to make them tricky. It feels less and less worth it. I might want him to focus on doing some other engaged things with the subject instead of trying for this half-baked test, which will definitely take up his energy if he does take it. He's not a kid who can just blow through one of these. He is also really grieving about ballet and I just... I don't feel like I want to push him. He's a bit a of a mess. This is us, 100%. We worked, and worked, and worked on the MCQ so that his score would still be high even if he bombed the FRQs. I am struggling to envision telling him that the next month is going to be nothing but test prep. My son is deeply grieving the loss of his sport, and honestly maybe I just the gentle way out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 My dd isn't going to take hers. She already has more credits than she can transfer in to the school she'll be attending this fall, so there is no reason for her to spend the extra time prepping for the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 I think my daughter will still the Latin exam mostly because there is no other viable option for credit otherwise. If there were a clep available I would have her wait and take that. I don’t even know how you would go about getting a refund at this point. It is only 45 minutes and I think it will be interesting to see what the test actually turns out to be. I doubt there will be too many accusations of cheating this year since I think it would be viewed as bad publicity during this time period and they wouldn’t want to hand colleges a reason to reject all the tests this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 They will refund all students that ask for one this year even through the refund date has passed. You need to contact the school that your student registered with since the college board don’t get their payment till June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 36 minutes ago, Lilaclady said: They will refund all students that ask for one this year even through the refund date has passed. You need to contact the school that your student registered with since the college board don’t get their payment till June. Except the schools are all closed. For the entire school year, at least in many states. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 My dd is taking 4 and has decided to take the exam (although she sure would prefer the full exam over the 45-minute edition). Next year the schools will charge per exam whereas this year we paid one proctor fee ($90, I think) to the school for all 4 exams. Dd is not taking these with college credit as the goal and she really doesn't want to walk away from what she has worked so hard for. So on she goes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 (edited) I emailed the AP test coordinator at our local high school, through which DS is signed up to take his AP exam. Now that the exam will be online, I asked her what the procedure and deadline is if DS decides to cancel his registration and not take the exam due to all the changes. She replied that her contact at College Board is encouraging test coordinators to NOT cancel any registrations, because "if you cancel, you can't change your mind and sign up again". She said if DS decides not to take the exam, he just needs to not log in to his College Board account on test day. That "no show" will trigger her to contact us and ask if he wants to take the exam on the alternate date in June or if he wants to not take the exam at all. At that point, we could get a refund, less the school's processing charge. She doesn't know yet how much the refund will be. She also reiterated the College Board's position that colleges will unequivocally accept this year's exam results. We're leaning toward DS not taking the exam. There is little upside for him in taking it. Edited April 14, 2020 by TarynB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 On 4/11/2020 at 4:58 PM, fourisenough said: Except the schools are all closed. For the entire school year, at least in many states. The guidance counselor from the school DD is registered with has been in contact. They're still working, just not on site. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 37 minutes ago, dmmetler said: The guidance counselor from the school DD is registered with has been in contact. They're still working, just not on site. We’ve emailed ours and received no response. But! That is no different than usual, so it can’t be blamed solely upon the pandemic! Glad you were able to reach your contact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) We haven't decided. I think my students would do well on free response questions, although one may have an anxiety attack about having everything ride on 2 questions. I'm more concerned about it being a waste and colleges not accepting it. I'm thinking about skipping it and having them take the test next year. I'm not sure if they'd be ok with a refresher course before the test or if that's too much to ask. ETA- But really, if they aren't able to pass the test next year, then they probably don't deserve to test out of the college level, right? Edited May 5, 2020 by Paige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 On 4/13/2020 at 3:57 PM, TarynB said: She also reiterated the College Board's position that colleges will unequivocally accept this year's exam results. How can they guarantee that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 37 minutes ago, Paige said: I'm thinking about skipping it and having them take the test next year. I'm not sure if they'd be ok with a refresher course before the test or if that's too much to ask. ETA- But really, if they aren't able to pass the test next year, then they probably don't deserve to test out of the college level, right? this is a solid option except nobody knows we will be back to normal by next spring 😞 If this virus continues to hit us in waves, next year might be the same situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Roadrunner said: this is a solid option except nobody knows we will be back to normal by next spring 😞 If this virus continues to hit us in waves, next year might be the same situation. You're right. I hadn't even considered that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 FYI, the second paragraph quoted https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students/taking-ap-exams/scoring “AP Exam Scores As usual, students’ work will be scored by our network of college faculty and AP readers, and will be reported on a 1–5 scale. We anticipate releasing scores as close to the usual July timeframe as possible. To help support teachers and schools that are struggling to collect and score student work for course grades, we’ll provide every AP teacher with their students’ responses from the 45-minute exams within 48 hours of each test date. Administrators and teachers can individually determine whether they’d like to use these results locally as part of a course grade or as a final exam.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Paige said: How can they guarantee that? Exactly. I have serious doubts about it myself. She was just parroting to me the "company line" from College Board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) On 4/13/2020 at 12:57 PM, TarynB said: I emailed the AP test coordinator at our local high school, through which DS is signed up to take his AP exam. Now that the exam will be online, I asked her what the procedure and deadline is if DS decides to cancel his registration and not take the exam due to all the changes. She replied that her contact at College Board is encouraging test coordinators to NOT cancel any registrations, because "if you cancel, you can't change your mind and sign up again". She said if DS decides not to take the exam, he just needs to not log in to his College Board account on test day. That "no show" will trigger her to contact us and ask if he wants to take the exam on the alternate date in June or if he wants to not take the exam at all. At that point, we could get a refund, less the school's processing charge. She doesn't know yet how much the refund will be. She also reiterated the College Board's position that colleges will unequivocally accept this year's exam results. We're leaning toward DS not taking the exam. There is little upside for him in taking it. read in the AP new guidelines - they are supposed to get an e-ticket for the may exam. all students, whether they signed up for the normal or late testing date to begin with. IF you simply don't show up for the may date, you will automatically be sent an e-ticket for the june exam. IF you don't show up to that one either, then you're supposed to get an automatic refund. this is to simplify things, as they don't have the manpower to man phones. this also lets us not have to deal with local AP coordinators who are working from home. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-testing-guide-2020.pdf?SFMC_cid=EM305178-&rid=97485225 (page 6 covers late testing dates) with that said, my senior is not taking his exams as there's no point. already accepted, can't use the AP credits. and maybe we'll even get refunds for it?! but his sister is taking her exams, so we'll see how that goes. Edited May 5, 2020 by mirabillis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 6 hours ago, Arcadia said: FYI, the second paragraph quoted To help support teachers and schools that are struggling to collect and score student work for course grades, we’ll provide every AP teacher with their students’ responses from the 45-minute exams within 48 hours of each test date. Administrators and teachers can individually determine whether they’d like to use these results locally as part of a course grade or as a final exam.” That's not normal is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 24 minutes ago, Paige said: That's not normal is it? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 nothing about this year's APs are normal!! 🤣🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easypeasy Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 On 4/6/2020 at 9:27 PM, Farrar said: He is also really grieving about ballet and I just... I don't feel like I want to push him. He's a bit a of a mess. On 4/8/2020 at 9:55 PM, Caraway said: My son is deeply grieving the loss of his sport, and honestly maybe I just the gentle way out. Another kid here who's missed out on so much this semester that I'm being careful how much I load upon his head. His way of coping, however, is to be busier than ever, so he wants to take the AP tests & is preparing with a sort of angry energy that he doesn't usually possess. lol And he wants to sign up for classes over the summer. etc, etc, etc. The competitive middle AND final events of his sport this summer were just canceled this week. He is just... done. Blah. It's hard for driven kids to see a point to working so hard for much of anything when their entire lives seem to be canceled! 😕 So, we'll just keep keeping him busybusybusy! 😄 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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