AP Info

April 20, 2020

From Dean of Teaching & Learning Caitlin Littlefield

I hope that you are well and safe. I am writing with updates to the Advanced Placement (AP) exams this spring, and to acknowledge that, in spite of the many unknowns that this pandemic has raised, it has not changed the hard work that your daughter has put into her AP courses and her ability to demonstrate her learning on those exams.

Due to the many changes and challenges this year, families will not be charged a fee for any AP exams that students do not take or otherwise miss for any reason (e.g. technical difficulties, illness, etc.).Seniors who choose to not take the exam for an AP course, will continue to have the course listed on their transcript as an AP class.  Sophomores and juniors who choose to not take the exam for an AP course, will then have that course listed on their transcript as an Honors class. This change allows us to acknowledge the rigor of the course, but prevents the questions that may be raised by not also having an exam score. However, please know that colleges choose to give credit based solely on AP exam scores, not course completion. Therefore, without taking the exam, students will not receive college credit for the AP course. If you have any questions regarding crediting, please email Mrs. Greene.

In general, we encourage students to take all the AP exams that they are currently registered for. The College Board has modified the exams to reflect changes in schooling due to COVID-19, and teachers are making sure to prepare students for the exams. Many of the changes, and how The College Board is supporting students and educators, are explained here. After reviewing the information online and discussing the choice with families, if there is any AP exam that a student chooses not to take, they should email their AP teacher, Mrs. Greene (College Counselor), Ms. Cunningham (Dean of Students) and Ms. Littlefield (AP Coordinator).

For our international families, students need to pay careful attention to the exam schedule. Students should be able to take all of the AP exams that they are registered for, but those exams will be administered at the listed times. For example, this means students in China will be taking some exams in the middle of the night. This is because access to the online exams is linked to the registering school, and since SEM is in the U.S., those are the access times given to SEM students.

Finally, all testing accommodations registered with the College Board will be honored.