College Board's AP Rate Hike Backlash
The College Board, the company behind the dreaded SAT and popular AP courses has made changes to the registration for the AP exams. AP courses and the exams that go with them are supposed to provide students with a leg up on college applications. Though the changes, which amount to an increase in cost, were announced over a month ago, they now add to the conversation the nation is suddenly having about the college admissions process.
The new policy (to be implemented next school year) calls for students to register in November for the AP test. But in November, students are barely one quarter of the way through the AP course; they might not yet be certain they'll take the test in May. Additionally, AP tests are only accepted by certain schools; a sufficiently high score (as determined by the college) may be good for a credit, or simply serve as a placement test. However, AP credits are often not counted in the student's major.All this means that for a high school senior to accurately gauge the utility of an AP test, she needs to know what college she will attend and what her major will be. Many high school seniors will have none of that information in November. Yet under the new policy, the College Board will charge them a $40 late fee if they register after November, and a $40 cancellation fee if they register and then decide not to take the test.
This certainly looks like a financial windfall for the College Board, particularly when one considers that data collected from high school seniors in the fall would be a valuable commodity. And the CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: College Board's AP Rate Hike Backlash