TESTING: Students head into a new wave of AP testing as the Riverside Unified School District eliminates fiscal concerns.
By Matt Kaye, News Editor
Under Principal Dr. Michael Roe’s leadership, Poly has seen no shortage of changes and improvements. Numerous changes have already taken place, from relieving the grade restrictions of academic courses to refreshing the paint on classroom doors. One major accomplishment that surprised many is Riverside Unified School District’s (RUSD) subsidizing of examination fees for all of the College Board’s AP tests, which students will take in the first two weeks of May.
The decision to offer this benefit to the thousands of students who will attempt these exams this spring resulted from a long stretch of research, discussion and analysis. Over the spring and summer months of 2014, RUSD, Poly and other high school administrators gathered together for the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) to assess the needs of students, the desires of the community and the benefits for teachers by forming a funding model for RUSD schools to follow. Administrators adjusted the LCAP based off of a wide variety of feedback, including that from faculty, student leaders, PTSA members and educational experts. The new LCAP represents a substantial step in maximizing the use of the educational materials regularly provided on top of additional materials or funding.
The most prominent result of the new LCAP is the subsidization of exam fees for student AP exams. The idea to fund all AP tests for students in the district resulted from a strong and universal response. “One of the items that the various groups felt was important was increased access to AP/IB courses, and students and parents across the district felt that one of the things keeping kids from accessing AP courses was the cost involved,” Poly Assistant Principal Rachel Bramlett stated. AP exams have the potential to take the place of college credits, elevating their importance for college-bound students.
Eradicating the cost of these exams relieved many of the worries students formerly faced. In previous years, students had to face issues of cost under multiple circumstances. The first issue students faced was whether or not to enroll in an AP course as its corresponding AP test came with a price. Another issue existed for the students already enrolled in AP courses who had to decide whether or not to pay to take the exam in May. Those students risked not passing an AP exam with a score of three or higher, eliminating their opportunity for college credit. For 2015 examinations, the College Board raised the price of each AP exam to $91, a two-dollar increase from 2014’s $89 fee, which students who were not on free/reduced lunch had to fork over for each exam taken last year.
The cost for all students this year who plan to take AP exams will be a sharp downgrade to $0. There are a few conditions, however. AP exams will only be subsidized for those who are enrolled in a corresponding AP course at their high school. While it is not necessary to take the matching course to attempt any of the exams, the fee waiver will only apply to those students who do. As usual, students must opt-in for each exam by the registration deadline, which, this year, is March 20.
Additional information regarding the new LCAP with updates from 2014 can be viewed on the RUSD website via the following link http://www.rusdlink.org/successforstudents.