What’s New?
Slide 1 — What’s New?
Greetings, AP coordinators!
Thank you so much for being part of this session of the AP Coordinator Tutorial for 2016-17.
My name is Derek Kameda. I am an AP coordinator, and I’ve had the pleasure of doing this for over a decade at one of the top AP programs in the world.
Before I begin, please allow me to provide a quick overview of what to expect from these tutorials.
If you are a brand new or inexperienced coordinator, these tutorials provide a solid foundation.
You will receive a clear description of the role and responsibilities of the AP coordinator.
If you are an experienced coordinator, these tutorials provide the same review.
However, they also feature some best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy.
Thank you again for joining us. Let’s get started.
Slide 2 — 2017 AP Exam Fees
First of all, there is no fee for schools to participate in the AP program.
The AP Exam fee for the U.S., U.S. Territories, and Canada is now $93 per exam.
This reflects an increase of $1 per exam.
The international exam fee has also changed and is now $123 per exam.
The $15 fee for unused exams remains the same as last year.
The per-exam rebate that schools retain did not change. That is still $9 per exam.
Slide 3 — 2017 AP Exam Fees: Alternate Exams for Late Testing
There are two primary reasons for late testing.
When something is out of the student or school’s control, there is generally no additional charge for late testing. For other reasons, late testing may be allowed, but there is a $45 per exam fee.
However, it’s important to note that if the student qualifies for the College Board fee reduction, the $45 is waived regardless of the reason for late-testing.
Slide 4 — Late Fees
Fees for late orders, late exam returns, and late payments also did not change.
Late orders are orders received after the College Board deadline. This does not include orders specifically for late testing exams.
There is a large penalty for late exam returns. Please avoid this by getting your return shipment packed and sent off right away. And also make sure that your payment is in the mail by no later than June 15.
Slide 5 — Reports and Reporting Services for Students
Fees for Reports and Reporting Services for Students did not change.
They all remain the same as last year.
Slide 6 — Fee Reductions
The College Board provides a fee reduction of $31 per exams for students with financial need.
Schools do not keep the $9 per exam rebate for these students. This results in a cost of $53 per exam.
Many states and districts use federal, state, and local funds to supplement the College Board fee reduction. Information on this will be posted on the College Board website when available.
Slide 7 — Fee Reductions (cont’d.)
For 2017 AP Exams, the College Board has different eligibility criteria for AP Exam fee reductions.
This depends on participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
The Community Eligibility Provision is a program for schools and districts, specifically those with high percentages of low-income students. The CEP provides free breakfast and lunch to all students.
More specific information is found on the College Board website and in the AP Coordinator’s Manual.
Slide 8 — Transitioning to ESSA
A very important change has been implemented starting this current school year.
States and districts must act on a local level to ensure that funds remain available for low-income AP students.
This is critical to ensure that federal assistance will be in place for your school this year.
In 2017, more than half a million low-income students will seek financial assistance to pay for AP Exams.
This financial assistance has been available for nearly 20 years through the federal AP Test Fee Program.
For example, in 2016, participating states received $38 in federal funding toward each AP Exam taken by a low-income student.
This reduced the typical AP Exam fee from $53 to just $15.
Under the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) the Federal program was eliminated. ESSA consolidated nearly 50 programs, including the AP Test Fee Program. These programs were consolidated into a new Title IV “block grant” which will be distributed to states and districts.
This year and in all years going forward, states and districts must act to ensure funds remain available for their low-income students.
States and districts have various opportunities under ESSA to use their federal funding to cover low-income students’ AP Exam fees.
Funding can also be used to expand AP course offerings and teacher preparation and support.
Please visit the URL listed on this slide. There you can learn what you need to do to make sure your low-income students continue to have access to AP Exams.
Slide 9 — Free Practice Exams for 16 Subjects
Practice exams in 16 AP subjects are available to AP teachers.
They are available through the AP Course Audit website.
These are complete versions of the AP Exam. And they also include a multiple-choice answer key, free-response scoring guidelines, and a scoring worksheet.
Please note that the practice exams are for in-class use only. Teachers must keep them in a secure location. Teachers may not assign the exam or any of the exam content as homework. The exams must be collected back from students after administering them in class. And practice exam content may not be posted on the web.
Slide 10 — Free Practice Exams for 16 Subjects (cont’d.)
This is a list of the free practice exams that are available.
Again, these are available to registered AP instructors through the course audit website.
Slide 11 — Online Scores for AP Students
AP scores are available online for students in early July.
Students must establish a College Board account to access their scores. Students should create their account ahead of time for more efficient score access. Students should use the same email address provided on the AP Answer Sheet. Students should also provide their AP number or Student ID number.
Identifying information should carefully match what is used on the actual answer sheets.
Slide 12 —AP Course and Exam Redesign: Major Themes
The AP redesign brings more clarity and focus to AP courses by reducing breadth and enabling deeper understanding. In other words, a smaller number of topics covered in greater depth.
The revised courses and exams also create more clarity. This is done through curriculum frameworks and what students should be able to do. Specific learning objectives are also addressed.
Other changes include increasing the focus on application of knowledge.
Examples of this are science practices and inquiry-based labs, historical thinking, and communication skills.
Slide 13 — Current Course and Exam Changes
For the current school year, AP Calculus AB, BC, World History and Seminar have been modified. You can see the subject-specific detail on this slide.
From a coordinator’s perspective, it’s important to ensure that your AP teachers in these subject areas are aware of the changes.
More specific information can be found at the URL listed on this slide.
Slide 14 — AP Computer Science Principles
The AP Computer Science Principles course was launched in fall 2016 with the support of the National Science Foundation.
This new course addresses the challenge of making computing coursework more engaging and accessible for all students. It also better prepares a pipeline of STEM majors.
The first AP Exam administration for this course will be in May 2017.
The assessment for this course consists of two parts: The first part is a through-course assessment that includes two performance tasks. The second part is an end-of-course AP Exam.
AP Computer Science Principles is offered in addition to AP Computer Science A. It does not replace it.
Slide 15 — AP Capstone™: Program Overview
AP Capstone is an innovative diploma program. It equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills valued by colleges and universities.
AP Capstone is built on the foundation of a two-year high school course sequence. It begins with a year of AP Seminar and concludes with a year of AP Research.
It is designed to complement and enhance the in-depth, discipline-specific study provided through other AP courses.
AP Capstone was developed as a response to feedback from College Board Higher Education membership.
AP Capstone provides two levels of distinction to students. Based on their performance and participation, AP Students can earn either a Seminar and Research Certificate, or a Capstone Diploma.
Schools must apply to participate in the AP Capstone program. For more information, go to collegeboard.org/apcapstone.
Slide 16 — Reminder: All-Digital Recording and Submission
For AP Music Theory and French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language and Culture Exams, all audio responses must be recorded digitally as MP3 files and submitted online. This is for the May 2017 AP exam administration.
Cassette recorders, student-response tapes, and student-response CDs are no longer used for these exams.
Schools must use digital technology. This means one of the following options: computer lab, laptops, language lab, or digital handheld recorders.
Again, the file must be recorded in MP3 format, and files will be uploaded through the Digital Audio Submission portal.
Please visit the URLs listed on this slide for more information.
Slide 17 — Service Enhancement
As an added Service Enhancement there is a digital recording app available for AP Music Theory only.
The new app simplifies the process of recording and saving audio files.
For 2017, it may be used on certain school-owned iOS devices only. Again, this is only for the AP Music Theory Exam.
More information about this additional digital recording option is available in the AP Coordinator’s Manual and the URL listed on this slide.
Slide 18 — End of “What’s New?”
Thank you for joining this session of the AP Coordinator Tutorial.
This is just one of several tutorial sessions that are available.
For more information about the AP Program and AP coordinators, please visit the other tutorial sessions.
And as a reminder, all of the downloads referenced in the tutorials are available on (or linked from) the tutorial page.
As an AP coordinator, you have the opportunity to positively impact your school’s AP program.
I strongly encourage you to be organized, secure, and committed to providing a great testing environment for your students.
Strive to give your students the best opportunity to maximize their academic abilities.
Please keep up the great work and thank you for making a difference!