CCSD to cover cost of AP test fees

CCSD has announced they will begin covering student fees for Advanced Placement exams, at least for this year. The money will come from federal grants. High school students enrolled in an AP class must pass an exam to receive college credit. 

The district has been actively recruiting more students to consider AP classes. It was difficult for the district to get students and families to engage in taking AP courses, especially amid distance learning, particularly for underrepresented students who did not have the adequate support at home.

It costs students nearly $100 to take an AP exam, which can present a barrier for students from lower income families. As a result, the district said it will now pay for AP exams for all students using federal grant money.

“The removal of the financial cost of taking AP exams means students have only the potential to gain and nothing to lose,”  said AP Statistics teacher Thomas Rohnkohl. “The opportunity to earn college credit for their hard work throughout the year in an AP class is and has always been an incentive to do well on AP exams (even at full cost), but now with the financial cost of the exam being eliminated from the equation, that incentive is magnified.” 

District officials say only 79% of enrolled students actually took the test last year, which was below their expected target. However, those who passed the exam potentially saved an estimated $6 million in college tuition in Nevada. 

The exam fee should not be a barrier to low-income students who want to take AP classes, and it will hopefully encourage under-represented students who lack support at home to enroll.