<p>Has this happened to anyone else out there? For many months they told us it was still being scored, and now they say they lost it. My s has no intention of taking it again. Does anyone know what happens to AP honor levels? Do they count the lost AP in distribution of honors categories. AP with distinction means you have taken 5 APs, AP with honors means 4?</p>
<p>Another question completely unrelated.
Do I order AP and IB grades directly from the testing center to be sent to colleges, or is it usually sent on the transcript?</p>
<p>We ordered the scores over the phone, directly from thetesting center - there was some limit on how many colleges you could send the scores to at one time (5?), or something like that. The brain is going.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Does anyone know what happens to AP honor levels? Do they count the lost AP in distribution of honors categories. AP with distinction means you have taken 5 APs, AP with honors means 4?
[/quote]
Doesn't the student have to score a 3 or greater to get these AP distinctions? How would they know what your son got if they lost the test?</p>
<p>When you say the "testing center" lost the test, you mean the testing site? And they basically lied to you for five months? Or did AP Central lose the test?</p>
<p>I'd be very mad if this happened to my son. The least I'd do is make sure the testing site (if this is what you mean by "testing center") got some additional training. You should have your money refunded, also. Your son lost out, and I'd make sure that some people were very uncomfortable because of that.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don't think this problem is as uncommon as we think. The same thing happened to D2 two years ago with the Italian AP Exam. D friends all got results, yet hers was "not available." I began getting suspicious when the assistant dean from her high school called to see if D had received her score yet, as all the other scores for all the other tests taken at our HS had been received. Long story short, after several months and many, many phone calls to the Educational Testing Service (the people who administer/score the exams), I was told the audio portion of my daughter's test "could not be found." Mind you, I had been told by at least 5 different people at ETS that the test was still being scored and it was not unusual for some tests to take longer than others to be scored. "Even when all the other tests taken at our HS have been scored for weeks" I asked?? I was told it happens all the time!
From the get go I was lied to by no less than 6-8 people including the supervisors I demanded to speak to. One told me maybe the school never sent that portion of her test! I did speak to the administrator at our HS who personally packed and mailed the CD's to the testing service who assured me she sent them all. And really, every other kid who took the test had theirs sent; why would my kid's be left out? I suppose it is possible, but the more likely scenario is that it was misplaced among the thousands of others at the testing service. And why was I led on for so long when they knew all along part of the test was missing? Why not just be up front about it and tell me it was misplaced and they were looking for it?
I finally spoke with a supervisor who gave me her direct #, which eliminated waiting on the phone queue for hours at a time, and she eventually gave me the bad news. She was the only one at ETS who was ever totally truthful with me and was genuinely apologetic that I had be strung along for so long.
I asked if they could project her score since there was only a small portion of the test missing, or could she have scored a 3 without even scoring the missing section, but I was told no. Our only options were take the test again or take a refund. D was already in college by the time this played out and tested out of the language requirement anyway, so we took the refund. D was upset that she had studied so long for the test and never received a grade, but moved on. I, however, was angry at the cavalier attitude the ETS had about the whole situation; the lying, stalling tactics, misinformation I received. I wrote several letters to those in charge but basically they said sorry.... it happens! Guess you can get away with that stuff if you are the only game in town.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do I order AP and IB grades directly from the testing center to be sent to colleges, or is it usually sent on the transcript?
[/quote]
I don't know anything about IB, but you generally only need to send the "official" score report to the one school at which the student matriculates (though many top schools ask for the scores to be self-reported on the application). </p>
<p>The best way to do it is to put that school as your score recipient when taking APs your senior year (by that time the students will know where they are matriculating). That way it is free, and by that time sending a low score will not hurt you, and sending a high one might earn you credit (all AP scores will be sent, not only those from the senior year testing).</p>
<p>As for AP award status - I guess the lost score just will not be counted. These awards are pretty useless anyway - all the info they provide is already evident from the scores.</p>
<p>Well,
I heard from s's school today that ETS dropped the lost test and gave him AP with honors. I'm not surprised, but he did take the test and with his grades of 5 on his other 4 AP exams, even if they averaged him in with a grade of 0, he would still have qualified for the next level. </p>
<p>ETS has offered to refund the fee, although what about the time and effort and stupid book I had to buy for review, which costs more than the fee? It was worth it to help him get a 5. not so for a 0. Like someone mentioned, they also offered to give him a 3. I'm not sure where that came from, it certainly wouldn't appear from his other grades that that would have been in line with his scores. Of course, we rejected that offer. So his spanish exam is on their floor, misfiles or in some employees trunk. After reading other's stories, I didn't spend as much time on the phone or bothering with it as I could have, thank goodness. I spoke to about 4 people and the supervisor. I wasn't together enough to remember that they promised to call back but never did. I guess he will have to substitute with his two IB scores.</p>
<p>If anyone else has a good ETS horror story, please let's hear it! This would make a good Halloween thread!</p>
<p>I've told my D's horror story before but can't find the posts. Basically, she received a 3 on APUSH and was disappointed; just before ETS's deadline, I came across the score report and on a whim requested a copy of her free responses. When it came...it was blank. Many frustrating phone calls followed; only after one "customer service" person hesitated while looking at the score field for her essays did it become clear that that the section had never been scored. Turned out it had been lost. Getting this addressed was an experience along the line of Peachy's...being transferred back and forth between departments, long waits on the line (I did most of the calls, rather than D because they were during the school day and very time consuming), being given false and conflicting information, unfulfilled promises. After months of this, she was offered the options of retaking, cancelling with refund, or having them "impute" an additional point based on the MC section. She selected the last option, which was fine for her purposes. They also agreed, because I insisted, to refund the $ for the never-found free response copy; that took months. I'm glad we're done with ETS now!</p>
