MCPS not paying for APs this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Their advocacy position is to no longer pay for them but I don’t think it has been formally changed yet. Might be in this next budget but they need permission from the state because of Blueprint.

They've only paid for them for one year...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if parents can't pay for a test or two, how can they afford college tuition?

Some kids don’t go to college, community college, aid.

Kids who have full need have always received a fee waiver from the CB anyway, and actually, if kids are planning to pay for themselves to go to community college, they can pony up the $97 dollars, which is a lot less than the cost of course there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are two separable issues here. One is whether MCPS should pay (either for all or for those with needs). The other is whether they should automatically enroll kids the way they have the last couple of years.

At BTSN, one of the teachers pointed out that the average score had declined because there are kids who were automatically enrolled and then told they would face a fee if they didn't follow through and take the test. So there were kids showing up who had no interest in taking the test. (I think you could decline in the fall, but as the test approached students faced a penalty for not taking it?)

I don't care about the average test scores (though I suppose principals might) but it's a waste of money to pay for kids who have no interest in taking the test and won't take it seriously.

Then they shouldn't be in the class. They are taking it for a GPA bump, and trust me, the level of effort for kids who don't plan to take the exam weighs down the rest of the class.
- longtime AP teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the drop dead date for test enrollment? By the time seniors take AP exams, most have decided on a college and can look up whether that school will give any credit for certain APs. If there is no benefit to taking the test, they will either no-show for it and pay the $42 cancellation fee, or show up and do just enough work to get a 1 or 2. That's a waste of money.

Kids smart enough to be in AP classes and smart enough to get into a college that doesnt count AP exams (most do so if they don't it must be a very prestugious school) can get higher than 1 or 2s without studying (ask me how I know)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

Why would MCPS (or any other school systems) pay for your kid's AP/IB exams?? This "give me, give me" gotta stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Their advocacy position is to no longer pay for them but I don’t think it has been formally changed yet. Might be in this next budget but they need permission from the state because of Blueprint.

They've only paid for them for one year...

Two years. 23-24 and 24-25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

Why would MCPS (or any other school systems) pay for your kid's AP/IB exams?? This "give me, give me" gotta stop.

Because the state requires it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two separable issues here. One is whether MCPS should pay (either for all or for those with needs). The other is whether they should automatically enroll kids the way they have the last couple of years.

At BTSN, one of the teachers pointed out that the average score had declined because there are kids who were automatically enrolled and then told they would face a fee if they didn't follow through and take the test. So there were kids showing up who had no interest in taking the test. (I think you could decline in the fall, but as the test approached students faced a penalty for not taking it?)

I don't care about the average test scores (though I suppose principals might) but it's a waste of money to pay for kids who have no interest in taking the test and won't take it seriously.

Then they shouldn't be in the class. They are taking it for a GPA bump, and trust me, the level of effort for kids who don't plan to take the exam weighs down the rest of the class.
- longtime AP teacher

Where do you teach? McPs gives the same GPA bump for honors and AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are only a few years out and we always had to pay for the tests. I think there were just waivers for kids who qualified.

We got the waivers because I was diagnosed with cancer and not working, halving our HHI. So I am not sure if MCPS paid for everyone during the pandemic. However, the waiver was not hard to request. I think it was a Google form to self-report hardship. My kids took many AP exams during that period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if parents can't pay for a test or two, how can they afford college tuition?

Some kids don’t go to college, community college, aid.

Kids who have full need have always received a fee waiver from the CB anyway, and actually, if kids are planning to pay for themselves to go to community college, they can pony up the $97 dollars, which is a lot less than the cost of course there.

If you don’t have the money now, you can’t pony it up no matter how much it will save you in the future. There are kids on scholarships to MC and there are those who have to take out a loan for 2-4 semesters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if parents can't pay for a test or two, how can they afford college tuition?

Some kids don’t go to college, community college, aid.

Kids who have full need have always received a fee waiver from the CB anyway, and actually, if kids are planning to pay for themselves to go to community college, they can pony up the $97 dollars, which is a lot less than the cost of course there.

If you don’t have the money now, you can’t pony it up no matter how much it will save you in the future. There are kids on scholarships to MC and there are those who have to take out a loan for 2-4 semesters.

I don't think anyone is actually this clueless. These are either trolls or people who didn't think through what they were saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if parents can't pay for a test or two, how can they afford college tuition?

Some kids don’t go to college, community college, aid.

Kids who have full need have always received a fee waiver from the CB anyway, and actually, if kids are planning to pay for themselves to go to community college, they can pony up the $97 dollars, which is a lot less than the cost of course there.

If you don’t have the money now, you can’t pony it up no matter how much it will save you in the future. There are kids on scholarships to MC and there are those who have to take out a loan for 2-4 semesters.

I don't think anyone is actually this clueless. These are either trolls or people who didn't think through what they were saying.

Sorry-- this isn't meant for immediately previous poster, but the ones before that. I guess I don't know how DCUM formatting works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two separable issues here. One is whether MCPS should pay (either for all or for those with needs). The other is whether they should automatically enroll kids the way they have the last couple of years.

At BTSN, one of the teachers pointed out that the average score had declined because there are kids who were automatically enrolled and then told they would face a fee if they didn't follow through and take the test. So there were kids showing up who had no interest in taking the test. (I think you could decline in the fall, but as the test approached students faced a penalty for not taking it?)

I don't care about the average test scores (though I suppose principals might) but it's a waste of money to pay for kids who have no interest in taking the test and won't take it seriously.

Then they shouldn't be in the class. They are taking it for a GPA bump, and trust me, the level of effort for kids who don't plan to take the exam weighs down the rest of the class.
- longtime AP teacher

Why did you decide to stop upholding the AP standard for the course, and start indulging and enabling the students who don't belong there, at the expense of the ones who do? That's malpractice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

Why would MCPS (or any other school systems) pay for your kid's AP/IB exams?? This "give me, give me" gotta stop.

Because the state requires it

Statement like that without a link?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

Why would MCPS (or any other school systems) pay for your kid's AP/IB exams?? This "give me, give me" gotta stop.

Because the state requires it

Statement like that without a link?

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2025/wam/17DP6Eyo3sOfq1xk4K7DagtUESQCeMS9M.pdf