20 AP Physics and 24 AP Bio tests are missing (they reported this to the school). And they are offering a refund or retest, which are terrible options for my son, a senior busy applying to colleges! Any advice on how to follow up with College Board and hold this institution accountable to tracking the tests down? Anyone else with this experience that has found a way to deal with this confounding institution?
I don’t think tracking down the tests is going to help at this point. The integrity of their custody has been compromised and it is unlikely they could be graded anymore. I’m sorry.
@milydahlke This really sucks, but I am not sure what you can do to hold them accountable. If he really needs a score then he will have to retake them. The question is does he really need a score? For college admissions it matters more that he took the class (and class grade) than what test score he got, since you don’t even have to report AP scores to schools until you have been accepted and are trying to get credit. What is he planning to major in and where is he looking to go to school? The reason I ask is depending on major and the school those AP credits might not be worth much. I would take a look at the schools he is considering and see what equivalent credits they give for those AP courses and if they would even be applicable to his planned major. Then I would decide if it is worth the effort to retake the test. I know for most STEM majors regular AP Physics won’t really get you any meaningful credits. You usually need AP Physics C for that.
Thank you! Your response makes really good sense and I was slowly beginning to think along those lines. He is considering engineering and he did take AP Physics C. But I think, I would want him to retake the class in college irrespective of how he did in the AP test, because sometimes I feel the colleges teach the subjects more in-depth and the repeat would really strengthen his foundation. So as you said, I think not retaking is a better option and focusing instead on the ACTs and classwork will serve him better. Thanks for reinforcing those thoughts - much appreciated! (Still feel that test administration being CB’s bread and butter, they would have all kinds of tracking to prevent this sort of situation - not fond of that institution for many reasons).
IMO, an engineer definitely doesn’t want to skip college physics. At my D’s college, physics is integrated into the engineering design course, so there was no skipping no matter what.
FWIW, it does stink and I’m really sorry this happened at your school!
Now I am going to go back on what I said a little since it was AP Physics C. That might be worth taking if he feels confident that he can get a 4 or 5 (check the schools of his interest for what they need). Depending on the school, those required engineering physics classes can be unnecessarily hard and a real pain. My S19 is going to GT and he was able to get credits for all required Physics and Chemistry classes for engineers. The recommendation was to take the credits.
When are they offering for him to retake the test? Now or the next test cycle in the spring?
Consider asking your guidance counselor to mention this incident in his letter of reccomendation. That wouldn’t tip your son’s application, but neither would it hurt. If it were me, just for the principle of it, I’d want the college to know he did, in fact, sit for those exams.
I’m sorry this happened to your son. I, too, would be livid.
I would definitely prioritize the ACT and classwork as the OP mentioned. If you can fit in a retest of the AP great, but I’d not stress over it at all.
The counselor has not come forth with a retest date. Based on what you’re saying racereer, I guess we’ll decide once we know the exact situation- but I do know it’ll be very unlikely to hit the same level of preparation. I really hate the idea of CB going scott-free on this while the students take all the hits… I do like Groundwork2022’s suggestion having a mention in the recommendation letter at least about the situation (his physic teacher happens to be one he’s picking for it).
FWIW my kid took physics C, minored in physics in college and did not repeat a beginning physics course. But what a pain!
Advanced placement for AP physics C varies by college, but is less likely than for some other subjects like AP calculus AB or BC.
Beginning calculus based physics courses are less standardized than calculus. Some may use more math than AP physics C (particularly in E&M; it is common for college physics 1 and 2 to be taken alongside calculus 2 and 3, rather than just the calculus 1 equivalent AP calculus AB), and some may cover additional topics besides mechanics and E&M.
Thank you every one for your points of view. Update - CB sent a letter saying they lost the MC sections, but not the FRQ, which was graded and they would project the score for the entire test based on the FRQ portion and some other factors. So that is the best possible outcome under the circumstances and we’re very relieved … but how the heck does that happen - losing track of half the test 
Stuff happens. 24 Bio tests is less than one hundredth of one percent. We’d like everything to be 100%, but it just isn’t realistic. Since they have half, it sounds like they were lost by CB, rather than in shipping. They were surely split when received, as the grading would follow a very different process. From that point, the fact that they were from the same test isn’t really relevant.
I have to be suspicious of extrapolating just from a small handful of FRQs. And what are the “other factors”?? But there’s really no other option, I suppose.