College Board Faces Problems to AP Exams
There are many uncertainties with AP exams this coming year, but one thing is for sure, there needs to be changes and problems fixed that the 2020 exams caused.
COVID-19 has caused a few problems for AP students and classes. One of the biggest problems students and teachers faced was the final AP exam.
Earlier this year, the College Board, who owns the AP program, announced that for the first time tests will be taken online at home. This is a result of the schools that shut down because of the pandemic. However this created a lot of problems for students and even teachers.
In normal years past, the AP exam was given to students in school and they were given three hours to complete. However, because of school closings the College Board still decided to have AP testing, but online, in a much different way.
Students who did not have access to a computer, internet connection, or a quiet room to concentrate had the most disadvantage. The test given was a shorter version of the normal AP exam and it was taken at home on the student’s computer.
Another issue about these tests was timing. All of the tests for a certain subject were taken all at the same time, which meant that some students took their exam in the middle of the night. This was a big problem for students not living in the United States.
In addition, many students reported was that their response was not received by College Board. There were problems submitting, many students who had completed the test in time still had problems with the site glitching.
According to the Washington Post, a student’s parent wrote in explaining that when her daughter tried to press submit to upload her response, it did not work.
According to the same article by the Washington Post, an AP calculus student submitted a JPEG answer for her test. Then at midnight that same day she got a notice that her answer could not be accepted because her file was corrupted. The student contacted the College Board about the issue and they were told to take the exam again in June.
There needs to be more improvements made to the exams so that students can better prepare themselves. The College Board should learn from what did not work in the past so that the upcoming exams should not run into these problems again. There is already a lot of stress for students and teachers surrounding AP exams, the College Board must find ways to accommodate new challenges.
The 2021 exams hold a lot of confusion and anxiety. There is no complete set answer for anyone which can make these times even tougher.
The College Board has also announced that the 2021 exams will be formatted as traditional exams and they will be administered in school. This may be better for students because it would solve the problem of site glitches however it could create more problems because for fully virtual students.
The College Board has tried to make some accommodations for this coming year’s exams. According to the College Board website, “There will be no fees whatsoever if a student decides not to test or to cancel their exams.”
They have recognised that some students may feel comfortable taking the exam in fall, when you are required to register, but not in May so there will be no fees if a student does choose to cancel their test. There was a cancellation fee in the past of $45, and there will still be a $40 fee for late orders of tests.
Another problem that the College Board has somewhat addressed is whether or not testing will be online or in person. In a statement on their website they said that they will support in-school testing in 2021. College Board explained they support this because it “maximizes access and opportunity”.
On their website they also mention that if there are safety concerns that may not allow for a student to test at school they will provide a contingent testing option.
