GDS just dropped AP testing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that GDS parents should have anticipated that at some point the school would stop offering the AP test. I understand it’s inconvenient but any school that no longer offers AP course at some point will also stop offering the exam. GDS should provide a list of schools in the DMV where students can take the test.

Long time, multiple kid GDS parent here w/ a HS kid interested in UK schools which require APs.

School's email yesterday is typical GDS. Meant to calm but actually stresses. They say nothing about where to test other than the college board link they send. Now parents are left to call dozen pus schools - who the heck do we even ask for? GDS email says to start calling in early september b/c slots can fill up.

I just dont understand how this helps anyone - its purely done for virtue signaling and false de-stress.

The GDS college profile last year stated that GDS kids in 2022 took 150+ AP tests. So what happens now - those 80-100 parents all start calling JR, STA, Sidwell, BCC, etc

The least GDS could have done is to make an arrangement w/ JR or a few schools to guarantee or even fund out if they would take non-students. That college board list has no indication of whether the school takes outside students

Another in a long line of fails by this college office.

I've resisted posting this but here my favorite other fails just from last year
1) the part time essay reader/yoga instructor who was made a college counselor and who was awful and was fired by end of the same school year when parents and kids who had this person as CC were appalled at her lack of basic knowledge and organization

2) the really sad story of the senior last year for whom college office did not send transcripts and recs to ANY colleges RD. The registrar just skipped over this kid b/c everything done on paper and the kid's "blue sheet" (or whatever that stupid system is) was stuck to another kid's sheet and was never seen by the registrar. Kid ended up having incomplete apps at all schools and matriculated at a rolling college past deadlines. Just a few examples of the "world class" office led by Emily. Instead of adding 2-3 more counselors and better essay readers, she spends all summer planning how to eliminate AP testing on campus. B/c standardized tests are bad and racist and all decisions must viirtue signal first and foremost

3) Lack of any way to look at SCOIR or naviance to see stats of prior kids who went to colleges from GDS last few years. EVen schools who close this option for parents leave access for parents when they go to CC office to view. GDS steadfastly refuses to show us a single data point. Zero. They have the data. They just wont show it. Instead, the CC's use coded language to dissuade or encourage and never have DIRECT stats driven dialog w/ parents. Why?

I will be writing the college office, the board chair, and Yom and Russell.

Of course, it will do absolutely nothing for any of us. They will all grin-f*ck me but actually wont do a thing. They wont even pick up the phone to call a few peer schools to make sure if they even let GDS kids register for APs at those schools. they wont even guarantee that teachers will allow kids taking the tests to miss class for a day if taking the tests

the old schools GDS teachers who ran AP test prep sessions after school (i'm talking about the 30-40 year stalwarts who students love) must all be so sad to see the school become this awful tangle of idiotic decision making

This is extremely upsetting. I feel so bad for the kid whose stuff never got sent out by the registrar. That is my worst nightmare. I thought everything was done electronically now and there are many checks and balances to make sure stuff like this doesn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

I remember like 5 years ago all the top privates said they were getting rid of APs. Is GDS the only one that followed through? Seems like STA and NCS completely backtracked.

Did Covid somehow break the solidarity?

[Anonymous]

My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

I'm always surprised that the private school parents expect the schools to help with college admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At an absolute minimum…why wasn’t this policy announced last May right after AP tests. At least that would have given parents 4 months to figure something out.

Exactly! Or why couldn’t they have announced that this will be the last year tests are offered onsite…so parents were prepared?

Glad to be shot of that CC office. I never got a straight answer to these Qs. A friend with a student in the current senior class never stops complaining about how frustrating it is to deal with. Though they are sending their younger child this fall as a freshman so I guess they are willing to put up with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember like 5 years ago all the top privates said they were getting rid of APs. Is GDS the only one that followed through? Seems like STA and NCS completely backtracked.

Did Covid somehow break the solidarity?

STA and NCS kept math, science and foreign language AP classes. (they each kept AP calc AP, Calc BC, AP physics and AP physics C, AP chem, AP biology, AP comp sci, AP foreign language (in each foreign lang) and AP foreign language literature (in each foreign lang)
They dropped history and English AP classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

I'm always surprised that the private school parents expect the schools to help with college admissions process.

Well I'm not sure how parents are supposed to send transcripts on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

I'm always surprised that the private school parents expect the schools to help with college admissions process.

Well I'm not sure how parents are supposed to send transcripts on their own.

Colleges don’t even allow you to send them yourself.

[Anonymous]

It’s really upsetting for a GDS parent or any parent to read other kids bashing schools. We all do our best in deciding what we could do for a kid, and seeing all this nastiness makes it worse for those of us who made a choice. Gloating is a bad trait. But if you’re paying for what’s called a top three school why the heck are you even on here? What inside of you doubts yourself? Do you share this with your kids? This is not great GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

This is unforgivable. Public schools with way more students and far fewer counselors are somehow able to not mess this up. GDS and other privates don’t need more counselors, they need better ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

I'm always surprised that the private school parents expect the schools to help with college admissions process.

Well I'm not sure how parents are supposed to send transcripts on their own.

The school registrar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to another Big3 (not GDS) and they also messed up transcripts for a kid this year. I don't know the exact details but they weren't sent on time despite the kid doing everything correctly. It was an error by the high school.

Given how expensive tuition is and how increasingly complex this process is each year, you would think they could spring for an additional counselor from the number they've used for years. It would be money incredibly well spent.

This is unforgivable. Public schools with way more students and far fewer counselors are somehow able to not mess this up. GDS and other privates don’t need more counselors, they need better ones.

They have what 60-100 kids graduating. How hard is that vs. a public with 500 kids graduating.

[Anonymous]

I get why GDS keeps parents at arms length because parents can be a pain and are often focused on their kid vs. what is best in big picture terms. But sometimes parents have genuine well thought out requests and suggestions and these should not be brushed off. I am beyond frustrated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did GDS inform parents that if your child needs accommodations for AP tests it is going to be even harder to find another school that has space?
Friend’s child is homeschooled due to her extensive medical needs and takes online AP classes. It is really, really hard to find schools that will allow students to take AP tests with accommodations at their school. She never had luck at ANY public schools and called so many private schools in order to find one school with space.

My daughter went to an online school and we were responsible for finding a seat for her AP tests and never had any luck.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s funny when elite private school parents complain about their schools. Can you imagine the sense of entitlement that these parents feel? Imagine having to deal with that everyday!