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Deep sigh: AP Exams again


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Just found out that our county changed their policy last year so that homeschoolers can't take AP exams anymore. I am so, so weary from scrambling every year (for 6 years now! with no end in sight!) to find somewhere that will let us test. I'm currently composing an impassioned e-mail to the school board reps and the superintendent  that talks about how they're hurting my kids for no reason and how they're also making my husband (who teaches in the county) so unhappy that maybe HE'S going to be the next math teacher who's so mad he takes a teaching job in Abu Dhabi (true story. Except there's actually no way I'd move to Abu Dhabi. Nowhere hotter than Georgia is a hard and fast rule for me). I guess I'm e-mailing the college board, too. I don't expect any of it do any good, but it's really just so ridiculous and infuriating that they haven't fixed this problem yet. 

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On 8/19/2021 at 8:48 AM, kokotg said:

Just found out that our county changed their policy last year so that homeschoolers can't take AP exams anymore. I am so, so weary from scrambling every year (for 6 years now! with no end in sight!) to find somewhere that will let us test. I'm currently composing an impassioned e-mail to the school board reps and the superintendent  that talks about how they're hurting my kids for no reason and how they're also making my husband (who teaches in the county) so unhappy that maybe HE'S going to be the next math teacher who's so mad he takes a teaching job in Abu Dhabi (true story. Except there's actually no way I'd move to Abu Dhabi. Nowhere hotter than Georgia is a hard and fast rule for me). I guess I'm e-mailing the college board, too. I don't expect any of it do any good, but it's really just so ridiculous and infuriating that they haven't fixed this problem yet. 

I hear you. We can never get a public school to take us— it’s not official policy; the schools are allowed to just say no. So far we have been lucky enough to get private schools to work with us. Others have had to travel considerable distances. Given how early in the morning some exams start, this is a massive disadvantage to homeschoolers, for no reason.

But if you haven’t yet, do try all the private schools in your area, too.

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44 minutes ago, NittanyJen said:

I hear you. We can never get a public school to take us— it’s not official policy; the schools are allowed to just say no. So far we have been lucky enough to get private schools to work with us. Others have had to travel considerable distances. Given how early in the morning some exams start, this is a massive disadvantage to homeschoolers, for no reason.

But if you haven’t yet, do try all the private schools in your area, too.

We had a private school that was great a couple of years ago, but last year they shot us down because of covid 😞 But, yeah, I'm sure I can find somewhere (knock wood); I have some good leads already. I was just really hoping that THIS year it wouldn't be a struggle, and they could just go to my husband's school and take them (and he could even be the one to drive them there first thing in the morning 🙂 )

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Our local contact retired. Dd is only a maybe for a couple of tests, anyhow, but one would be tricky for her to transfer out of DE because it's only offered at the university as an online course (AP HUG). She probably really doesn't need a full course for that one anyhow.

Edited by MamaSprout
gah! coffee
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I don't know what to do.  Last year the publics I contacted all said no but ultimately a private school was willing to accommodate DS for digital exams only, which was fine by us because we were not at all interested in in-person testing.

Now the CB says all May 2022 exams will be in-person and the preferred ordering deadline is Oct. 4.   Covid is absolutely raging here right now and i cannot imagine that any school will be willing to commit to an outside student taking an in-person exam, even 9 months from now.  And in fact if G-d forbid the Covid situation is still a disaster in May 2022 we won't want him going to take a test in-person either.  But OTOH, who knows what things will be like in May 2022?

 

 

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2 minutes ago, JennyD said:

I don't know what to do.  Last year the publics I contacted all said no but ultimately a private school was willing to accommodate DS for digital exams only, which was fine by us because we were not at all interested in in-person testing.

Now the CB says all May 2022 exams will be in-person and the preferred ordering deadline is Oct. 4.   Covid is absolutely raging here right now and i cannot imagine that any school will be willing to commit to an outside student taking an in-person exam, even 9 months from now.  And in fact if G-d forbid the Covid situation is still a disaster in May 2022 we won't want him going to take a test in-person either.  But OTOH, who knows what things will be like in May 2022?

 

 

Yeah, covid is definitely complicating things, especially with the early registration these days. Last year the place we were all signed up tried to boot us because of covid at the last second; we made a fuss and they let us test online, but I had a few hours of serious panic. My kids would be happy with online tests forever, but I'll take what I can get at this point. With excellent masks and booster shots if need be. 

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10 minutes ago, kokotg said:

Yeah, covid is definitely complicating things, especially with the early registration these days. Last year the place we were all signed up tried to boot us because of covid at the last second; we made a fuss and they let us test online, but I had a few hours of serious panic. My kids would be happy with online tests forever, but I'll take what I can get at this point. With excellent masks and booster shots if need be. 

My DS really liked the online testing option, too.  I just don't want to call schools too early, because I am 99.9% sure that the answer right now will be a flat no across the board.  Schools here are being crushed by covid, pediatric hospitals are overflowing -- there is just no way that any of these places is going to be, like, sure random homeschooler, happy to promise to host you for a test next May.  But if I wait, we'll miss the deadline.

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I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?

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26 minutes ago, Melissa B said:

I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?

I think that's just the cost of the test - it sounds about like what I wrote a check for last year when my kid took one (we have a private school that lets homeschoolers take APs, pSAT, etc, at cost).  Back in the 90s when I took an AP exam it was in the $50-60 range.  

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34 minutes ago, Melissa B said:

I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?

That’s the cost of the test. 

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Unless something changes, I think most homeschoolers are going to have to back away from AP.  Even pre-covid, dd ended up just not taking one of the exams because we could not find a site that would host her.  Why would they?  Extra hassle with no benefit to their own students.  I get it.  Before that, we traveled 4 hours.  Just not worth it.  We switched to DE and never looked back.  Unless College Board is going to DO SOMETHING (the something being as simple as requiring sites to take everyone) about this, I think it will only get worse.

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1 hour ago, Melissa B said:

I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?


https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/exam-fees

Exam (except AP Seminar and AP Research) taken in the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada, and DoDEA schools*

$96

“ 

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On 8/22/2021 at 5:16 PM, JennyD said:

   Covid is absolutely raging here right now and i cannot imagine that any school will be willing to commit to an outside student taking an in-person exam, even 9 months from now. 

Schools here started reopening two weeks ago and cases are climbing. We do have a state mask mandate and high vaccination completion rate for 12 and up of 80.8%. 

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3 hours ago, skimomma said:

Unless something changes, I think most homeschoolers are going to have to back away from AP.  Even pre-covid, dd ended up just not taking one of the exams because we could not find a site that would host her.  Why would they?  Extra hassle with no benefit to their own students.  I get it.  Before that, we traveled 4 hours.  Just not worth it.  We switched to DE and never looked back.  Unless College Board is going to DO SOMETHING (the something being as simple as requiring sites to take everyone) about this, I think it will only get worse.

It's very frustrating; I like DE for some things, but I want to actually homeschool the stuff we can do well at home. Obviously, we can do that anyway, without AP exams, but we've found them to be a useful tool (and our state flagship requires test scores to verify core classes not on an accredited transcript). And with subject tests going away, we have even fewer options. Not that I'm giving up! But my one lead that I was feeling pretty good about hasn't responded to Friday's e-mail yet. 

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12 minutes ago, kokotg said:

 but I want to actually homeschool the stuff we can do well at home. Obviously, we can do that anyway, without AP exams, but we've found them to be a useful tool (and our state flagship requires test scores to verify core classes not on an accredited transcript).

Yes.  My DS isn't interested in DE and we have also found the AP framework a useful tool for some classes.   We can manage without it, of course, but it's just frustrating that it's becoming unworkable for such a stupid, utterly fixable, reason.

 

 

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None of us can figure out why the private school that lets homeschoolers test with them does this.  In a way, it's no problem for them to do so - they have a person who coordinates testing for the school, and they have a gym (that's a separate building) set up for the week of testing and students from the school come and go, so it's not as if it adds any work on their part for homeschoolers to park by the gym, walk in, get their name checked off the list, and take the test.  We send the coordinator a list of what we want in the fall and she sends us the codes to type into the AP site for prep and then they send a mass email to the homeschoolers letting us know the test date, reminding us to bring a check to cover the cost of the tests, and asking us to dress our kids in some approximation of the school's dress code (khakis and a white or blue shirt).  They don't even charge a fee to proctor.  I mean, they'd be there proctoring anyway, and they charge enough tuition that they have plenty of bells and whistles without charging homeschoolers a fee, but still.  Maybe we do well and it helps their numbers?  Maybe the coordinator has ties to the homeschooling community?  They could be doing it as a goodwill thing, but it's not as if 'homeschoolers whose kids take APs' is a large demographic.  I think that our zoned public school would probably let the kids test there, but I can't imagine they'd be willing to order tests that they aren't offering.  

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10 hours ago, Melissa B said:

I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?

It's a reasonable price. Have you confirmed that they will be offering the exams you need? That is always the tricky part here, as the schools don't necessarily administer all the subjects I need.

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9 hours ago, GoodGrief3 said:

It's a reasonable price. Have you confirmed that they will be offering the exams you need? That is always the tricky part here, as the schools don't necessarily administer all the subjects I need.

Yes, we're very lucky here. The school he is zoned for told me they do not offer that exam, but gave me the name of the public school where their students who use FLVS or study independently take the exam. We actually live closer to that school than our zoned school.  I reached out to them and they were fine with him sitting it there.

 

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We’ll….crud.  Just heard back from the small ‘independent learning school’  where we’ve taken our AP tests for years that they don’t expect to be allowing outside students to take AP exams this year.  The public schools here have been consistently unhelpful always in this regard, and I don’t expect it to be better this year.
 

 I’ll start the phone calling marathon tomorrow, I suppose. at lears we’re only looking for 2 this year, and they’re fairly common.

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I'm mad enough now that I'm in my rarely used Don't Back Down EVER! mode, and the school board rep I e-mailed last week has made it worse by not responding to my first e-mail. I'm sure the poor woman has a lot going on right now with covid stuff, but, unfortunately for her, the college board has put me on a tight schedule with my outrage. I just followed up, asking her to point me to the policy in writing so I can give the college board and my state representatives accurate information. I'm sure she's terrified 🙄...but I'm at least going to get someone to listen to me about how incredibly frustrating and unfair this is. I should save some of my energy for actually finding somewhere to test, too, though. 

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3 hours ago, kokotg said:

I'm mad enough now that I'm in my rarely used Don't Back Down EVER! mode, and the school board rep I e-mailed last week has made it worse by not responding to my first e-mail. I'm sure the poor woman has a lot going on right now with covid stuff, but, unfortunately for her, the college board has put me on a tight schedule with my outrage. I just followed up, asking her to point me to the policy in writing so I can give the college board and my state representatives accurate information. I'm sure she's terrified 🙄...but I'm at least going to get someone to listen to me about how incredibly frustrating and unfair this is. I should save some of my energy for actually finding somewhere to test, too, though. 

Do you have a local news station that does those "help the consumer" type shows? They love these kinds of stories and the schools usually don't want negative press. Sometimes making these kinds of problems more public gets it in front of the person who has the power to change it.

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On 8/25/2021 at 9:04 PM, AEC said:

We’ll….crud.  Just heard back from the small ‘independent learning school’  where we’ve taken our AP tests for years that they don’t expect to be allowing outside students to take AP exams this year.  

I saw them post this on Facebook and their website, and I could understand why they don’t want to make any promises/commitments that might backfire on them. 

Fully vaccinated faculty and staff
Masking and Social Distancing requirement for everyone on campus
Air filtration in use throughout the day
All common touch areas are disinfected periodically throughout the day

Contact tracing and wellness screening via Clear to Go App”

16 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Our public school has allowed our kids to sit for the exams in the past, but this year we need one that they don't offer / teach at their school. Is it ever possible that they would give it anyway, or should I also begin a phone marathon?

Things started changing after AP exams went online last May. I would call.

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On 9/1/2021 at 11:51 AM, Lucy the Valiant said:

Our public school has allowed our kids to sit for the exams in the past, but this year we need one that they don't offer / teach at their school. Is it ever possible that they would give it anyway, or should I also begin a phone marathon?

I'd ask for sure.

My experience through the years is that availability is frequently dependent on the mood of the person in charge of scheduling exams for the school. I have had more than one place be willing to proctor a test for which my daughter is the only student. And other places that don't want to be bothered having her test there even if there's a whole class of students doing the exam. It definitely helps if you have some connection at the school, and I find phone calls to be generally more effective than e mails in the attempts to work things out.

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Well, I found them a spot in a neighboring county! But I'm still mad that they can't take them at the school where my husband actually teaches AP classes, in the county where I pay (lots of!) taxes. For no reason at all. So I'll catch my breath for a minute and then send some angry e-mails to my state reps and to the college board. It might at least make me feel better. Hey--only, umm, 7 more (non-consecutive) years that I have to deal with this! 

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2 hours ago, kokotg said:

Well, I found them a spot in a neighboring county! But I'm still mad that they can't take them at the school where my husband actually teaches AP classes, in the county where I pay (lots of!) taxes. For no reason at all. So I'll catch my breath for a minute and then send some angry e-mails to my state reps and to the college board. It might at least make me feel better. Hey--only, umm, 7 more (non-consecutive) years that I have to deal with this! 

That’s how I feel every year. 
glad you got the spots. 

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5 hours ago, kokotg said:

Well, I found them a spot in a neighboring county! But I'm still mad that they can't take them at the school where my husband actually teaches AP classes, in the county where I pay (lots of!) taxes. For no reason at all. So I'll catch my breath for a minute and then send some angry e-mails to my state reps and to the college board. It might at least make me feel better. Hey--only, umm, 7 more (non-consecutive) years that I have to deal with this! 

I will never understand why they have this logistically difficult system for accessing the AP exams.

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On 8/25/2021 at 4:34 AM, Melissa B said:

I'm sorry. I don't want to sound like I am complaining when others cannot find a spot to take the exams, however, my local public school says my son can take the exams for $96 per exam. That seems high to me. None of my daughters took AP classes. Is that a reasonable price?

That seems quite reasonable to me.  Until about 2 years ago all exams in NZ high schools had a few like that.  I am really nervous that I won't find a school willing to let ds do exams as that is the only way he can qualify for university entrance before he is 20.

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On 9/1/2021 at 3:51 PM, Lucy the Valiant said:

Our public school has allowed our kids to sit for the exams in the past, but this year we need one that they don't offer / teach at their school. Is it ever possible that they would give it anyway, or should I also begin a phone marathon?

I (very, very nicely) asked my contact to order the test we need, and she agreed! Woo-hoo! 

Offering that as hope for everyone else, too. 

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Just emailed my contact at the school where DD has tested the last two years. Fingers-crossed it will be a ‘go’ for this year. They’re woefully inadequate communicators, but do eventually get the registration done. I’m sure it will take me harassing them a few more times, though!

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The College Board needs to step up and tell schools— if you are going to use our trademark, you cannot discriminate. You must offer a seat to any student who wishes to test who resides in your feeder pattern.

This would also get rid of the problem of public schools cherry-picking which students of their own can take the tests so their scores look better (yep, it happens).

 

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21 minutes ago, NittanyJen said:

The College Board needs to step up and tell schools— if you are going to use our trademark, you cannot discriminate. You must offer a seat to any student who wishes to test who resides in your feeder pattern.

CollegeBoard is probably more worried about antagonizing their customers. My local schools are not even hang up on APs and knows parents who want more can send their kids to private schools. They already cherry pick who can take AP classes. CollegeBoard would not want the schools who currently offer SAT and ACT to all their students to favor the ACT. My school district didn’t offer the PSAT last year telling parents who are interested to qualify for national merit scholarship via whatever alternative path offered. 

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I am BEYOND frustrated by this process too.   It seems SO VERY unjust.   I don't know if I am venting or asking for advice, but I am fit to be tied over trying to schedule an AP exam.   Who do I call at this point?  What should I do?  

Our assigned local school (Beechcroft in the Columbus City School district in Ohio) does not offer any AP classes or courses.  So I followed the instructions on these two websites:

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/faqs/can-i-register-ap-exam-if-my-school-doesnt-offer-ap-classes-or-administer-ap-exams

and

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/faqs/im-homeschooled-how-can-i-take-ap-exam

I have called and/or emailed EVERY school (public and private) in my area who offers the test kindly asking them to please order the test for my son.     (I've used all of the advice in this forum post too. ). As soon as they find out that I am in the Columbus district, they refuse to help me and send me back to Columbus.   I've contacted several other high schools within my district, and only 1 person has gotten back to me.   He told me to contact these other districts that have already refused me.  😞 I'm not giving up yet, I am going to keep appealing to them to help my son. 

There is only one private Christian school that has not refused me yet.  Actually, I've called and left two voicemails with the AP coordinator and 1 email, and she hasn't responded yet.   I am PRAYING and holding out hope that she will decide to be generous with her time and energy and order this test for my son. 

Again, The entire process seems so incredibly UNJUST.   That is what kills me about it.   I knew it was bad, but I didn't realize it was THIS bad.  

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I also wanted to add that according to Ohio Law, homeschool students are supposed to be given  "the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity offered at the district school to which the student otherwise would be assigned during that school year. "  (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3313.5312

Homeschool students are also supposed to have access to standardized testing provided by their public school.   (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3301-34-04).  However, in context, I think this applies to end of year testing maybe.  

I am now wondering if they can legally turn me away?  If my child is supposed to be given the opportunity to play football, should he not also be allowed to sit in a cafeteria and take an AP test!?     Do you think I have a leg to stand on?   Should I be buying an HSLDA membership?    Contacting the school board?  

Also, another question (sorry I am rambling, but my mind has been fried from AP phone calls and repeated rejection)---I've tried reaching out for help on our state's homeschooling Facebook page.   One lady suggested that I go through the process to get a syllabus approved so I can order the test myself.   (AP Audit).   Our AIM Academy course is already college board approved and my son has joined the class online.   Will I mess something up if I try to get a syllabus approved myself?  And even if I do that can I then actually order a test myself?   The website is not exactly clear.   (https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-course-audit/explore-by-role/homeschool-providers-ap-courses?fbclid=IwAR33Vpi782LG1a2HE5hWdTjfIL0WcH12TZLYfsx7U8EY3BUxY5nDPPlcYUo)

 

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24 minutes ago, TheAttachedMama said:

Our AIM Academy course is already college board approved and my son has joined the class online.   Will I mess something up if I try to get a syllabus approved myself?  

No. I got approved for AP Physics a couple weekend ago in a bit of a panic, but then got my DS enrolled in a class. I don't know, but can't imagine, That you can order a test to administer yourself.

A lawsuit might be helpful for "homeschool-kind", but i doubt it would help your child. The legal process trans to be so slow.

If you're child does not take the AP test, the class can still be beneficial. Is it a subject they could CLEP if needed?

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26 minutes ago, TheAttachedMama said:

 

Also, another question (sorry I am rambling, but my mind has been fried from AP phone calls and repeated rejection)---I've tried reaching out for help on our state's homeschooling Facebook page.   One lady suggested that I go through the process to get a syllabus approved so I can order the test myself.   (AP Audit).   Our AIM Academy course is already college board approved and my son has joined the class online.   Will I mess something up if I try to get a syllabus approved myself?  And even if I do that can I then actually order a test myself?   The website is not exactly clear.   (https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-course-audit/explore-by-role/homeschool-providers-ap-courses?fbclid=IwAR33Vpi782LG1a2HE5hWdTjfIL0WcH12TZLYfsx7U8EY3BUxY5nDPPlcYUo)

 

I don't think getting a syllabus approved means you can order the test yourself. I've wondered how that works...like could a local place that offers homeschool classes order tests? That said, getting a syllabus approved is very easy (it turns out! I didn't realize until this year that you can just "adopt" the sample syllabus, pick an approved textbook, and you're good to go)

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32 minutes ago, TheAttachedMama said:

 

I am now wondering if they can legally turn me away?  If my child is supposed to be given the opportunity to play football, should he not also be allowed to sit in a cafeteria and take an AP test!?     Do you think I have a leg to stand on?   Should I be buying an HSLDA membership?    Contacting the school board?  

 

 

I think a lot more homeschoolers need to be doing this kind of thing. As @SusanC says, it won't help our kids THIS year, but for the sake of future homeschoolers, the college board and local schools need to be made a lot more uncomfortable about this frustratingly stupid issue. There's such a small number of people who care about it (even among homeschoolers, most of them don't bother with AP classes) that I think it's not on most people's radar. One of the responses I got from someone at the county level is that "the College Board offers Saturday sessions throughout the year for this exact reason which provides an opportunity for homeschooled students to take the tests." ????? Umm, no. Wouldn't that be nice if they did! Either he doesn't know the difference between the SAT and and AP exams, or no one's ever even pointed out to him before that this is an issue and he thinks that of course the College Board wouldn't leave homeschoolers in this position. 
 

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1 hour ago, kokotg said:

I don't think getting a syllabus approved means you can order the test yourself. I've wondered how that works...like could a local place that offers homeschool classes order tests? That said, getting a syllabus approved is very easy (it turns out! I didn't realize until this year that you can just "adopt" the sample syllabus, pick an approved textbook, and you're good to go)

If course you can’t test yourself. Moreover College Board won’t even allow official proctoring centers, the ones located on college campuses) to offer AP exams. They won’t even allow homeschool charter schools (they are public schools by the way) to offer these tests either. I understand test security is very important, but this is beyond. 

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2 hours ago, TheAttachedMama said:

  One lady suggested that I go through the process to get a syllabus approved so I can order the test myself.   (AP Audit).   Our AIM Academy course is already college board approved and my son has joined the class online.   Will I mess something up if I try to get a syllabus approved myself?  And even if I do that can I then actually order a test myself?   The website is not exactly clear.  

(ETA: a parent can’t be an AP coordinator for the exam that their child is taking)
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/launch-grow-ap-program/launch/get-approved

Your school must have a College Board school code to participate in AP and other College Board programs. This is a unique six-digit code that identifies your school in our system. It comes in two different authorization levels:

  • Level 1 authorization: Required for schools to provide AP courses and receive their students’ AP Exam and other College Board test scores. Schools cannot administer AP or other College Board exams.
  • Level 2 authorization: Required for schools to receive scores as well as administer AP Exams and PSAT-related assessments and to apply to become an SAT Test Center.

Tip: Apply for a level 2 code even if you don’t plan to administer any College Board exams at the moment. You’ll save time if your plans change.

If your school already offers AP, the PSAT/NMSQT, or the SAT, you already have a school code. Use the high school code search to look up your code. A school code is unique to your school and does not expire.

To get a school code or confirm or change your school’s authorization level:

Your school’s authorization level is not shared publicly.

The AP coordinator is responsible for organizing and administering the AP program at your school. He or she manages the registration and ordering process; the receipt, storage, distribution, administration, security, and return of AP Exam materials; and the collection of fees and submission of final payment to the AP Program.

  • The AP coordinator may be a full- or part-time administrator or counselor, faculty member, or other school staff member who is not teaching an AP course.
  • To avoid any perceived conflict of interest, AP teachers cannot serve as AP coordinators. AP coordinators also cannot proctor an AP Exam in a subject area they currently teach or have taught.
  • An AP coordinator cannot be involved in the handling of any exam materials that an immediate family or household member may take.
  • An AP coordinator cannot be employed part time or full time at a test preparation company, or participate in any coaching activity that addresses the content of secure College Board tests.

Learn more about the administration of AP Exams, and resources available for AP coordinators, by visiting AP Coordinators.

In August, principals and coordinators receive their school’s unique code to verify access to AP Registration and Ordering.”

Edited by Arcadia
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5 hours ago, TheAttachedMama said:

I also wanted to add that according to Ohio Law, homeschool students are supposed to be given  "the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity offered at the district school to which the student otherwise would be assigned during that school year. "  (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3313.5312

Homeschool students are also supposed to have access to standardized testing provided by their public school.   (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3301-34-04).  However, in context, I think this applies to end of year testing maybe.  

I am now wondering if they can legally turn me away?  If my child is supposed to be given the opportunity to play football, should he not also be allowed to sit in a cafeteria and take an AP test!?     Do you think I have a leg to stand on?   Should I be buying an HSLDA membership?    Contacting the school board?  

Also, another question (sorry I am rambling, but my mind has been fried from AP phone calls and repeated rejection)---I've tried reaching out for help on our state's homeschooling Facebook page.   One lady suggested that I go through the process to get a syllabus approved so I can order the test myself.   (AP Audit).   Our AIM Academy course is already college board approved and my son has joined the class online.   Will I mess something up if I try to get a syllabus approved myself?  And even if I do that can I then actually order a test myself?   The website is not exactly clear.   (https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-course-audit/explore-by-role/homeschool-providers-ap-courses?fbclid=IwAR33Vpi782LG1a2HE5hWdTjfIL0WcH12TZLYfsx7U8EY3BUxY5nDPPlcYUo)

 

Nope, we cannot order or proctor the tests ourselves. The College Board takes exam security and standardization of administration incredibly seriously, and that would instantly fall apart-- even in schools, teachers who teach the courses are not permitted to have even incidental contact with the students they teach in AP courses (not even in the halls or lunchrooms) until after their AP exam is finished for the day. So by definition, you could not proctor your child at home (during the digital exams at home last year, students were required to take the exams in a room without others present, so if a parent had been the teacher, again there was supposed to be no contact during the exam. I actually left the house to avoid even the appearance of impropriety wrt my son, and let my students who were online across the globe know that I was not going to be reachable until after the exam time expired).

 

It is really frustrating that schools play gatekeeper on these exams :(.

 

 

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On 9/11/2021 at 8:47 PM, kiwik said:

Does sitting the exam in a local school mean your result is counted in their statistics?  I believed that can be a problem some places here.

No; when you sign up to sit for an exam, they issue an exam-only join code. The student still uses your classroom code that you can issue for the course once you have passed your audit.

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On 9/9/2021 at 2:17 PM, NittanyJen said:

 

It is really frustrating that schools play gatekeeper on these exams :(.

This is the No.1 reason why I now consider sending my accelerated kids to public high school even though I know their academic needs won't be met there. In my state homeschools are unaccredited private schools and public schools don't want to do anything for us. And we don't have high quality DE options or selective in-state colleges. Hearing about this kind of barriers to homeschoolers is frightening and it seems utterly unjust and unfair esp. for high-achieving homeschooled kids.

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8 hours ago, Ad astra said:

This is the No.1 reason why I now consider sending my accelerated kids to public high school even though I know their academic needs won't be met there. In my state homeschools are unaccredited private schools and public schools don't want to do anything for us. And we don't have high quality DE options or selective in-state colleges. Hearing about this kind of barriers to homeschoolers is frightening and it seems utterly unjust and unfair esp. for high-achieving homeschooled kids.

This is one of the main reasons (but not the only one) while I now have my youngest in school. So tired of this “find the site” game. 
 

Editing to add we got lucky this year. I got a yes 🙂 

Every year seems to be a gamble though. 

Edited by Roadrunner
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7 hours ago, Ad astra said:

This is the No.1 reason why I now consider sending my accelerated kids to public high school even though I know their academic needs won't be met there. In my state homeschools are unaccredited private schools and public schools don't want to do anything for us. And we don't have high quality DE options or selective in-state colleges. Hearing about this kind of barriers to homeschoolers is frightening and it seems utterly unjust and unfair esp. for high-achieving homeschooled kids.

If you are in my state, (based on your description) then I suspect the options for accelerated/ TAG/ GATE kids in public school will be worse. Very dependent in your district, of course.

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16 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

If you are in my state, (based on your description) then I suspect the options for accelerated/ TAG/ GATE kids in public school will be worse. Very dependent in your district, of course.

Yes, that's precisely why we've been homeschooling for the past two years. We live in the rural Midwest where academic rigor is rarely prioritized. My eldest qualified for a gifted IEP at public elementary school but it was only enrichment with almost zero differentiation and meaningful academic support. Grade skip was not an option for both sides. It was basically a waste of time.
Both kids love homeschooling and have been thriving at home. We get nothing from local ps and are fine with it, at least for now.  
However, homeschooling high school would be different and more tricky because of this "closed door" policy of local public schools. Also, most social, academic and extracurricular opportunities for teenagers only exist within the ps setting in my area. I would like my ds to be able to take PSAT, AP exams, AMC 10, etc. for sure, just like other ps students, and build a strong college application. Enrolling him in public high school seems the only guaranteed way to be a part of these and I feel hesitant to gamble on it.
Unfortunately, this also means my 11yo ds would have to repeat a lot of core subjects in high school since, for example, he's already doing Geometry this year while our local high school only offers up to AP Calc AB.
Really, I would love to continue homeschooling through high school "if" there were equal access to tests and ECs for us since I could easily outsource much better quality online AP courses following our own timeline. 
Guess we can't have it all...

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