AP Exams change due to COVID-19
Prior to the 2020-2021 school year, various students worried about their future regarding college and specifically preparation for college. The CollegeBoard relieved part of this stress by altering changes to the AP exams and SAT test. “I was honestly really worried about receiving college credit and doing well on standardized tests before this year, but the CollegeBoard has done a great job of relieving these pressures,” NC senior Ryan Tuchmann said.
February 8, 2021
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced in March of 2020, teachers and students learned to adapt their education methods along with their own personal schedules. In order to continue to allow students to prepare for college and future plans, the CollegeBoard also altered their structure to alleviate distress that various students indicated. These newly placed guidelines hope to provide an opportunity for students to excel in their education while also limiting exposure to the widespread virus. students while preserving opportunities for motivated students to earn college credit. Rather than offering a single testing approach that would serve only some students and educators well, we are offering a variety of testing options that reflect the unique characteristics of each exam and the preferences we’ve heard from AP teachers,
“We’ve made decisions that prioritize the health and safety of educators and coordinators, and school leaders,” CollegeBoard said.
Due to social distancing and social gathering guidelines, the CollegeBoard implemented three administrations that students can partake in to complete their exam. Administration 1 takes place on the dates of May 3rd-7th, 10th–12th, 14th, and 17th, and will ensue in person. Administration 2 occurs on the dates of May 18th–21st and the 24th–28th and will take place as a combination of in person and digitally. Administration 3 occupies the dates of June 1st–4th and the 7th–11th and will take place as a combination of in person and digitally. The actual AP Exam schedule received a slight extension and may change depending on the amount of COVID-19 cases. In order to plan exam administration, students must register and update their CollegeBoard account.
“I plan on taking AP exams this year, including AP Environmental Science and AP Research. It’s going to look a lot different from prior years but I am thankful for the opportunities that the CollegeBoard is providing. Hopefully the scores this year don’t decrease from last year’s class,” NC Magnet junior Madelyn Nomura said.
The AP program and higher education communities adopted several ways to allow students to achieve academic success amidst a global pandemic. No matter the location, students, teachers, and the education system hope to see high results from this year’s test takers.
“Since arriving at NC fairly recently, pushing back the AP exams will definitely help me and give my students more time to prepare. I think pretty much all students will be a little bit more happy about this extension, and I think the CollegeBoard did a great job of handling this situation,” AP U.S History teacher Glendon Genty said.
