@Ballerina I do not understand how a school can MANDATE taking a costly test and require the student/family to pay for it! That is a bit insane, and wrong!
Unfortunately they can. If the student does not take a test, AP class will not get extra points for GPA. School encourage taking as many AP classes as possible. In fact they have one mandatory AP class for all juniors. This way they increase school ratings. Our school is ranked in a first hundred nationally. DD complained that kids in this mandatory class were not ready for AP level classes and teacher was supposed to teach on the lower level so everyone will understand material.
@Ballerina2016 "DD complained that kids in this mandatory class were not ready for AP level classes and teacher was supposed to teach on the lower level so everyone will understand material. "
That is crazy!! Then if they teach them on the lower level, how are they supposed to do well in the final AP exam?
They did not. Strong kids could self study, not so strong kids did not do so well on exam.
It always amazes me how different each school is. My daughterâs school seems very different from many of yours regarding AP class. When I talk with DD, I felt that AP is just another class and does not mean any harder or beneficial to the student in her school.
@Ballerina2016 thatâs the struggle at our high school. Certain AP classes are taught at a lower level to assist the students that r not truly ready (or sometimes willing) to work at the level necessary for the class. It frustrates my D because she has to work that much harder because the teacher then usually isnât able to cover all the material necessary to adequately prepare them for the exam. I always suggest then that the teacher allow my D not to attend the class but get marked present n she will teach herself the material. They obviously say no but my point definitely gets across n they then try to bridge the gap a bit more. Itâs usually not the school that creates this situation but parents of students who want their child in this class but the student isnât a ble or willing to work at the requisite level. 2 classes AP MACRO n AP Gov each only meet every other day so if it happens in those classes its doubly bad.
@texaspg: I think that if students at Princeton cannot put in some extra work while in the AB program, and thus meet the minimum reqs for being able to graduate from SEAS within their four-year time table, the department will deny the transfer. However, I will double check that, as that was what I remembered upon first becoming sad at realizing she would have to change plans. She should have some AP standing that will let her start in on some courses beyond the introductory freshman level, as she has done very well on her APs, and therefore begin a course of study that would make her acceptable for transfer. Thanks for that; will look into it again. She goes to see the folks at Columbia pretty soon, and Iâll make sure I get all the info I need while there. (I think Iâm actually feeling better. Will check in soon.)
Our school pays has free and reduced lunch kids pay $5 per test, I get to pay $91. Last year I walked in with $455 to pay for 5 AP exams and the girl right behind me was paying $20 for 4. The discrepancy between prices is ridiculous. I told my principal that my S is not taking one test this year.
For those of you whose schools pay for the SAT, how do they pay? Is it a grant? Are any of those schools in California?
I know there are a lot of schools with inflated grading. The kids finish the AP class with an A, but end up getting 1 or 2 in the final AP exam. That is not really helping the kids!!
We are not in California , and I donât know how they are paid for . My taxes I assume . Our school system pays.
Our school system pays for the ACT , they donât pay for the SAT.
Our school system pays for the ACT without the writing portion, which wouldnât work for colleges that require the writing portion. D16 had to retake the ACT again so that she can take the writing portion. The state one was a waste of time. They donât pay for the SAT. Most kids donât take the SAT.
No grade inflation in our district bc the kids that do well in class n on exams teach themselves the material n do not rely on the teacher to. Some do but some do not so its the common knowledge that if you want a 3, 4, or 5 u need to put in the time yourself. My D has all 4âs n 5âs as a result. Itâs tough but she will be so ready for college as a result. In college you have to succeed in your classes regardless of the professor so she might as well learn it early on.
AP classes are very popular in California. I read somewhere that 20% of National AP Scholars by senior year are in California. So California school districts will go broke if they have to cover cost of AP tests for everyone.I donât know if free tests for free meal kids are covered by state or federal budget.
Apparently, the federal government allots the funds to the states, who then administer it to the schools:
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/09/local/la-me-ln-test-fees-20130909
State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said California received its full grant request of $10.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help low-income students pay for all but $5 of the typical $89 fee for AP tests and $104 for International Baccalaureate exams.
AP scholars by state⊠last tab shows the number of AP scholars by state.
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/2014/National_Summary.xlsx
I have a question - how will you all prioritize/edit for the Honors list on the Common app�
Iâm assuming that âsingletonâ awards like RPI would outweigh things like NHS - and that NMSF or ap awards shouldnât be listed at all because theyâre redundantâŠ? But to save entries, could contest awards be listed under the activity?
Oddly thereâs space for only five awards but ten activities; it seems to me like a kid wouldnât have ten serious activitiesâŠ? Certainly an athlete (which I do not have!) would not have time for nine other serious things to list, judging from my studentsâ lives.
@texaspg - I saw from a search that you are good at ranking the value of these awards; would you be willing to help us here on '16 by listing e.g. is this the correct value listing (and no my DS does not have things from all categories or anything, but this is a more general question 
):
National/Regional or beyond academic awards - but does this include a contest like NLE or NEML? What aime score would one need to make it worth listing, or does it not count without usamo, for instance? What about niche but international contests like Math Kangaroo or similar in world languages?
Competitive summer programs like Telluride etc.
School academic awards like RPI, B&L, etc.
School academic âbookâ awards
School awards in individual classes for performance
School awards in individual classes for attitude
NHS
School Honor Roll
??NMSF / ap scholar awards??
??placement that is not finalist or winner in larger competitions??
@Mysonsdad Long Beach Unified in CA subsidized all AP exams for all students district wide. At least last year they did. The students payed $15 a test, then they refunded $10 for each test taken. The first time they did this was last year. We have a lot of poor kids here. They used this as a way to increase APs for everyone. LBUSD has I think 6 large high schools of about 4000 each as well as 3 smaller high schools if I remember correctly. That is as lot of AP tests. Next week they are giving a free SAT during the week.
The district where D goes to school pays for all juniors to take the PSAT and all seniors to take the SAT. We are in WA state. I didnât see any information saying that the same is offered to AP students, but according to the College Board, low income students may have access to CB fee reduction as well as state and/or federal funds to further reduce fees. I hope so! FRL kids canât afford $92 per test! Dâs school doesnât have any AP, but the district policy is that in schools where they are offered to allow any student wanting to take AP into the class, and to automatically place successful students into at least one AP class.
@waitingtoexhale - I donât see Princeton asking you to choose a school and are clear that whatever you state on the app, it is not binding. Here is what Princetonâs supplement says:
@fretfulmother - I donât believe in assuming that colleges keep track of NMSFs or figure out your AP award level based on what you list on the commonapp. Both are considered national level awards.
Telluride - beats pretty much all other awards for an aspiring English major or humanities major.
RSI - beats all other awards for a STEM major. Awards like SIMR, Clarks scholar etc are peers of RSI.
Monetary awards are usually great for listing. If someone wins a grand prize of 10k or more, they have it made in the awards section. Winning competitions comes next to cash prizes. The higher one gets the better - national beats state beats district beats schoolâŠ
Despite needing the schoolâs nomination, RPI scholarship at the end of 11th grade shows that your school thinks you are the best they have to offer for a STEM major. Same applies to any other college scholarship that is preawarded like the one mysonsdad was stating about his son. Even though these were nominated by schools, these are national awards since the colleges are being selective about giving these out. So if a college says you get 5k or 10k and you have not applied yet, then it would count as a national award.
Gold award, eagle scout award, congressional service awards etc or if your state or city recognizes you for service in specific area then they trump school awards. NHS has a requirement for service during the selection process. I think Hoby is a good award since the school can nominate only one or two kids most of the time.
I have not understood book awards. Does anyone know if the kids who get book awards usually get into colleges that give them out?