<p>I'm in a situation where taking my AP exams is useless because the school I'm attending will not offer me any credit. So, I emailed my school explaining my situation and telling them I have decided not to pay. They replied saying they will drop my AP courses and replace them with honors unless I agree to pay.</p>
<p>I live in NJ and attend a public school.</p>
<p>Are they within their legal boundaries? Is there anything I can cite to show they are not?</p>
<p>I have a feeling they're not, and they just want my scores.</p>
<p>If the school wants your scores so that they can score points off other school districts, they should have to pay the exam fees.</p>
<p>Option 1: Have your mom/dad call.</p>
<p>Option 2: Have your mom/dad call the school board members.</p>
<p>Option 3: Go to the press. Sometimes just telling the school that you are going to the press will get a response.</p>
<p>Chances are that they don’t really want your AP scores, they just want to be able to say that you took the AP exams because Jay Mathews at the Washington Post has cooked up a score for school quality where # of AP exams / # students in the graduating class is the only number used. This is bad statistics, but Newsweek magazine is owned by the same company that owns the W.Post and publishes the list with a big splash every year. This means that now every high school in the country that wants to be considered “competitive” in the nation is over-excited about these results.</p>
<p>If you decide to not take the AP exams (and I agree, it is totally a waste of your time if you aren’t going to get credit for them) let your college/university know what your school/school district has done to your transcript. They need to know that this stupidity is going on.</p>
<p>When our S about to grad HS they wanted him to take 5 AP tests, @ $75 a pop. Since he did not intend to take any AP credit in college we said no thank you. The school, also a public, came back and offered to pay for 3, but they got to choose which. </p>
<p>The school officials just wanted to better their stats.</p>
<p>At my school, we are informed at the beginning of the year that by taking the class we are agreeing to take the exam at the end of the year, and to pay for the exam unless we need financial assistance. The school uses AP scores to assess the quality of the class and see what needs to be changed. They also use the scores to compete with other schools, and to advertise. And I know many people who, if it was an option, would take the class (for the GPA bump, and because it looks good on transcripts) and skip the test (which is long, and which they need to study for). Our school doesn’t want this, so they take steps to prevent it.</p>
<p>Did your school tell you at the beginning of the year that the AP tests were required? If so, then you don’t have a case. If not, try calling the school and see what happens if you pursue this.</p>
<p>At my old school, it was a requirement to take the AP exams just to get high school credit for the class. That also meant it was required for the student to pay unless he or she could demonstrate financial need.</p>
<p>Same situation at my S’ suburban HS. The school district wants to be on Jay Matthews list and has mandated that students must take AP exam, at student’s expense, for the AP designation to appear on the HS transcript. Many parents fought this change, to no avail. Our HS has a miserable history of low AP exam scores. </p>
<p>My senior S is taking only 1 AP exam that he will get college credit for in the fall. As seniors, if not getting college credit, not worth the expense. AND, I seriously doubt the HS will actually remove the AP designation from transcript, as it was there on the mid-year report. I will request a copy after graduation and will report reason for AP omission to college if necessary. You should do the same OP, if you don’t pay for the test. </p>
<p>The AP policy is ridiculous, but too many parents/students are indifferent or uninformed as to the reasoning behind the policy. It is not for the students benefit, but to make the district look good, regardless of terrible score history.</p>
<p>Also, parents here went to the local press, to no avail. Too many don’t care or understand the methods behind Jay Matthews list. His list serves no purpose other to count number of tests taken, which is insignicant. What matters is tests taken and scores received on those tests. That is an indicator of how well the school is preparing students for college level work.</p>
<p>Ok, off my soapbox. This has been a issue for me since I started requesting test scores way back when my oldest was just a freshman (8 years ago) to see how well the school prepared students for AP exams.</p>
<p>At our small public high school, the math teacher makes it clear at the beginning of the year that he expects everyone to take the AP Calculus test. Other teachers don’t do this. My S is not writing AP English Lit because he already got a 5 on AP English Language and the college he will be attending will only give 1 credit for AP English, even if you take both tests. D did the same thing a few years ago.</p>
<p>What do you care if they change your AP to honors? Check w/ your college to be sure, but I can’t imagine it would be cause for rescinding your admission especially given the reasoning. Our HS changes an AP class from weighted to unweighted if a student doesn’t take the test. It seems reasonable to me because the AP test is the “final” for an AP class. You did the work in the class, the test is moot to your college, so call it “honors” and save the cash.</p>
<p>So, bmwguy, I’m guessing USC is off the table for you since they’re very generous w/ AP credit. We didn’t feel the love (money, that is) either and are leaning toward UCLA.</p>
<p>That sure doesn’t seem like a sound policy. I agree - pursue this further including within the district. At the public HS my kids went to the AP tests were optional. They actually took them all, and I was willing to pay, but they weren’t required to. Their grades were based on how they performed in class including on the final.</p>
<p>We have to sign an agreement at the beginning of the course acknowledging that we will pay for the exam and that we understand that if the exam is not taken the student will fail the course.</p>
<p>Same policy here as zoosermom–take an AP class, take the AP test, or auto-fail the course. Fee subsidies only for those who demonstrate financial need. The school can get away with it because it’s by far the best academics/price value in the area.</p>
<p>Our school does that, but even though it is a public HS, the prinicpal has her fund for the kids who dont qualify for free lunch, but still need help. I would still reco taking the test. What if you dont like your college, transfer and can use the credits?</p>
<p>To me auto-fail seems harsh. Realign the course to a non-AP is reasonable. Even if a student doesn’t have a financial hardship, taking an AP test for no possible benefit is a waste of the student’s money. If the HS wants the test results to boost ratings, that should be on their dime.</p>
<p>I guess we’ll be testing this out next year. My daughter is a HS freshman who is in accelerated English (which means she is in an Honors class with 10th graders. Next year she will be in what the school is calling “AP English Composition/Literature,” which I think is some sort of bastardized version of NYS Regents English at the Honors level with elements borrowed from the AP English Lit and AP English Composition syllabus.</p>
<p>Now I may be wrong, but I suspect that at the end of the year she will be inadequately prepared for either of the AP English tests. Our plan is to defer taking the AP exam until D’s junior year, by which time she will have taken “college level” (i.e. SUNY-approved) Lit and Composition classes. Our school does not use the AP exam in determining final grades, and I don’t really feel like spending money on an exam she may or may not be prepared to take as a 10th grader.</p>
<p>In this time of economic difficulties I would think more people would have a hard time paying for multiple tests even if they don’t qualify for free lunch. I’d talk to the school again and say you can’t afford it.</p>
<p>Our high school used to (may still, I don’t know) pressure the kids into taking the AP exam by saying that if you took the AP exam you were exempt from the final for the course. Essentially, you could goof off for the last month of school. D2 took 5 AP classes senior year, including one we knew wouldn’t get her any credit at any of her schools and one she was sure not to score well enough to get credit for. She kept up the line that the teachers were really pushing - so we eventually caved and payed for all of them.</p>
<p>AP English Literature and Composition is an AP course. It is sometimes referred to as AP English Literature. There is no AP English Composition, only AP English Literature (and composition) and AP English Language (and composition). You can read more about it here:</p>
<p>Wow, I would have been kind of angry that the school was pushing you back to honors level, but if I had already gotten into college and was definitely going to graduate, I probably wouldn’t care as much.</p>
<p>FWIW, I didn’t take the AP calc exam my senior year. I went to a private and we had to pay for our APs. The calc teacher was absolutely horrible - he couldn’t teach and I’d estimate generously that we maybe got through 1/2 the material that would be on the exam. There was no way I was going to waste 80 bucks or whatever it cost to get a 1, which definitely wouldn’t get me any credit.</p>