Sunday, April 12, 2009

More Students Seek Help Paying For Advanced Placement Tests

This from the Hartford Courant:

The pleas were direct and concise, the kind of writing that scorers of Advanced Placement exams might appreciate.

"Money is tight," wrote one West Hartford teen to Hall High School administrators. "Dad's hours got cut, my hours got cut, my mom's hours got cut.""I don't have enough money to pay for myself," another student wrote.

Thousands of Connecticut teens are preparing for AP exams in May, hoping a good score in subjects such as European history and macroeconomics can earn them college credit. But for the newly needy, an extra hurdle has surfaced: paying the $86 fee charged to take each three-hour test....

1 comment:

Madison King said...

I have heard of similar cases in which students have not been able to take their AP test due to a lack of money. I find this to be upsetting. Having taken AP courses, myself, to think of working above and beyond throughout the entire year, and then not being able to test my knowledge because I could not afford the test, would be a huge disappointment. I came from a school that actually paid for the AP tests. I did not have to pay a dime. At times, this was frustrating because a student was not allowed to drop the course once the tests were ordered. However, it was nice to know that I would not have to stress over coming up with the money myself. I think more schools should do this, because although it may be a waste of money for the students who do not pass, it can be a positive thing for the school because the students who have the intelligence to pass and earn money for the school will have the opportunity to do so, regardless if money is tight at home.