Seattle Schools Community Forum: OSPI and Lt Governor's Office Get It Done

Seattle Schools Community Forum: OSPI and Lt Governor's Office Get It Done:

OSPI and Lt Governor's Office Get It Done

From OSPI (bold mine):

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction announced today that, thanks to a public-private partnership initiated by Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib, low-income students in Washington state will be able to take Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams for free this year. 

Since 1999, a federal grant called the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program has provided funding for low-income students to take AP exams—which this year will cost $93 per test—at reduced rates. However, changes made during passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in December 2015 moved the federal program into a block grant, to which Congress then failed to appropriate funds in time for the 2017 test-takers. 

Last month, Lt. Gov. Habib announced the creation of a coalition of private partners including Microsoft, The Boeing Company, and the Schultz Family Foundation. They, along with other individual, nonprofit, and corporate donors, committed emergency resources to help cover the loss of federal funds. 

“Students shouldn’t have to face uncertainty when it comes to whether or not they can afford to take these exams,” said Habib. “Fundamentally, this is a question of equity in our education system, but it is also a wise and critical investment in our future. Students who take Advanced Placement exams are Seattle Schools Community Forum: OSPI and Lt Governor's Office Get It Done: