<p>NMSF is announced in early September. I’m pretty sure you can take the October SAT if needed. Some counselors drag their feet on informing kids if they’ve made NMSF – you should ask before the signup date for the September SAT if you haven’t heard anything.</p>
<p>At my D’s HS last June, we were told that APUSH was changing its entire course for Fall 2013. LA teachers advised students to wait if possible until their senior year to take it because there would be much less memorizing, reading and study notes required.</p>
<p>Do teachers at your kid’s school change their semester grade if they got a 5 on the AP exam? On my kid’s school it’s all depend on the teacher. Some bump one semester grade if they got a 5 and only if their semester grade is at least C (some at least B). My d’s AP Calc teacher refuse to do this saying that they’re being graded on her class and not on the AP test. See the thread below.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1099802-do-teachers-your-school-change-your-grade-if-you-get-5-ap-exam.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1099802-do-teachers-your-school-change-your-grade-if-you-get-5-ap-exam.html</a></p>
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<p>2018 - Hi and welcome aboard. I am also a dad and as BI said a couple of pages ago, there are a few of us out here leading this process for our kids. The real ride starts this summer and next fall as we gear up for the application process, EA and ED decisions, submittal deadlines, follow-up on frustrating GC’s, final testing and lots of WAITING! I get a headache just thinking about it all over again! :eek:</p>
<p>Our teachers do not change grades according to AP scores. If they take an AP they must take the exam, paid for by the county, but there’s no correlation to their grades. Traditionally they are exempt from any final where they have As all four quarters in the Jr & Sr yrs. Also (and this I find bizarre), they are exempt from a final where there is a corresponding state exam that year that they ‘pass’, receive an A in the final where they ‘pass advance’ (called SOLs, yes…the irony). If the teacher is giving the exam (because sometimes they aren’t due to pass rate) and you have only a pass/exempt, you can take the exam to potentially raise your grade if you have anything lower then an A. I remember calling the GC after getting a very late notice of a pass/advance for my oldest…the morning of the exam via email. I begged her to go get S1 out of a World History final before he wrote his name on the exam. She just caught him!!</p>
<p>Our grades are not dependent on the AP score, although every child enrolled in an AP course must take the test (paid for by the county). Not all classes have finals, but there are no exemptions for the exams, except perhaps for second semester seniors. But since seniors have a capstone research project that they must present in the spring, and still have to sit for AP exams, I think most are still working very hard until the end. </p>
<p>I live in the same state as blueiguana but I have to admit I don’t know what the policy is at our school with respect to finals and the SOLs. None of the schools my kids have attended have given them any emphasis or done special prep so I just go along blissfully ignorant of the testing requirements ha ha. I think DS is done with all of them anyway but then again I could very well be wrong given my ignorance of the state testing schedule!</p>
<p>Seniors don’t take spring finals because they are working on their senior projects. There are no special rules about AP. The scores aren’t even available until summer.</p>
<p>Just want to pop in and share some exciting news to my imaginary friends! 
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<p>DS just got nominated to Boys State!!! I’m so excited - not only because he was nominated, but because he is excited to go! I almost expected him to say, nah…not interested! haha Have I mentioned he’s a math/science kid - not into history/politics! This will be great for him!</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me share! :)</p>
<p>Every class in our school is required to have a final worth at least 10% of the final grade. (Occasionally a teacher will make the final worth 20% but I’ve never seen one worth more than that.) There are no exemptions from finals. Everyone taking an AP class is “expected” to take the exam at their own expense. If they don’t take the AP exam, they lose the AP designation on their transcript, and the course is listed (and weighted) as honors. </p>
<p>beadymom, congrats to your DS!</p>
<p>Quarter 1 grade = 40%, quater 2 grade = 40%, final=20%. That’s district policy. District pays for the AP test (probably why only 8 are offered). AP score will not affect grade. School’s out and grades are turned in before those scores come back anyway. This year we get out May 23rd, I believe. Aren’t there still AP tests being given on the 17th?</p>
<p>Our AP course grading also does not reflect the AP Exam score – even though we get out mid-June, the scores usually are not back yet!</p>
<p>Chucking over the SOLS – don’t people look at the acronyms when naming these tests?</p>
<p>Congrats, Beadymom! What exactly is Boys State? It sounds like a good thing:)</p>
<p>Cannot tell you how happy I am that it’s Friday. It’s been a long week for Spy family as spring sports are in full gear now. Spygirl arrived home at 9:45 last night following a very late practice and was up at 5:30. Poor kid has to leave the house tomorrow at 7 a.m. for a different EC, but it’ll seem like sleeping in after this week.</p>
<p>Sent my 8th grader to school yesterday and today even though he’s probably not 100% but he’s missed so much school this year. Hasn’t affected his grades but he’s in an advanced math at the h.s. so I don’t want him to fall behind. We need a sunny weekend to clear out the cobwebs!</p>
<p>Congrats, Beadymom! Boy’s State is a real honor and I’m sure he’ll do well.</p>
<p>Spring Sports, 99? More like a continuation of winter, with S2’s lacrosse team practicing in the snow …</p>
<p>No school here today due to our building being used for an outside (scholastic) event. I keep forgetting it’s Friday and thinking we’re on Saturday. The timing is good because S’14 has a cold and can just mull around the house. He didn’t even get up until close to noon (really unusual for us). Tomorrow he has a Chess Tournament, so hopefully his immune system can start getting up to snuff.</p>
<p>No AP at our school, so can’t add to how, or whether, it affects grades. Some teachers give finals, many do not - or they aren’t cumulative. </p>
<p>If things stay on track we’ll soon have state tests that will act like finals for some subjects. If one doesn’t pass enough state tests, one can’t graduate. I know that’s already the case in other states - way back to when I was in school (though at that time one could get a different diploma if one didn’t pass).</p>
<p>AP test results do not affect the GPA here. Kids are told they have to take the tests, at our expense, but I’ve never heard what the consequences are if you don’t. I also don’t know if there are financial aid waivers for those tests. The rebel that lives within me wants to call and say that I can’t afford the AP tests, what happens next? But I can, so I won’t.</p>
<p>BeadyMom – my daughter has been nominated for Girls State! Never heard of it before but excited for her. There’s still another step in the process for her. Her GC nominated her. Each GC is asked to nominate a student. Then they will review their transcripts, etc. and they have to have a personal interview. Then they will decide which 2 girls from our school are being sent. Keeping my fingers crossed!</p>
<p>Congrats again!!</p>
<p>BeadyMom - congrats on the Boys State nomination! Our school in WA doesn’t participate, but my own HS did - great opportunity!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure there are options in our district for getting the AP exams paid for if you can’t afford them.</p>
<p>Thank you! And congrats to your DD, MomFullofQs! I’m not that familiar with Boys State, but have been looking at the website since he texted me earlier. Agent99 - I’ve basically decided it’s a week-long residence summer program in your home state where the boys (or girls in MomFullofQs case) learn about how government works on the state and local level. During the program, they right laws, run for office, have elections for governor/mayor/senators, etc. Sounds fun! And a great networking opportunity with other students across the state.</p>
<p>How cool is that? I just googled and apparently we have that in Oregon, never heard of it before. Sounds like an amazing opportunity for your son, Beadymom!</p>
<p>Spygirl came home early from school with the bug…sigh. Better to miss her EC tomorrow than the SAT next Saturday.</p>