Test Optional - Test Alternative is closer to what is actually happening in College Admissions

Interesting to consider the future of testing in the college admissions process -- look at 3 recent College Board decisions:

1) the AP Exams - while most AP Exams will be available digitally if need be, the foreign language ones (this year) are not - colleges want to see the entire foreign language exam, not just the speaking section. So if AP Spanish, French and German cannot be administered in person due to Covid-19, College Board will provide another option - CLEP Exams for free later on.

2) National Merit - for students unable to take PSAT this past fall or in Jan 2021, students will have up to June 2021 to take the SAT for submission/consideration to National Merit Scholarship, but students must complete the ALTERNATIVE ENTRY FORM by April 1st -

https://www.nationalmerit.org/.../alternateentry2022.pdf...

3). National Recognition Scholarship Program - expanding to include AP Exams and 10th Grade PSAT - https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/.../recognition...

(Source: CB Counselor Newsletter Feb 25, 2021)

COLLEGEREADINESS.COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

COLLEGE BOARD - Makes big announcement on Jan 19, 2021

• discontinue Subject Exams & SAT Essay

• ensure MAY 2021 AP Exams FULL LENGTH

• rollout digital SAT fall 2021

• SAT Subject Tests (will still be offered internationally May & June 2021)

  • U.S. existing registrations will automatically be canceled and student fees will be reimbursed

  • Discontinuing Subject Exams frees up seating capacity for SAT testers, and offers students more time to focus on AP Exams

  • Students with Subject Exam Scores will still be able to submit their scores to colleges through the College Board; however colleges may vary in how they select to use these exams for admission purposes (Subject Exams have been useful in determining course level placement, highlight mastery in a subject, and support student applications from Homeschool, Private and Virtual Schools)

• SAT Essay (after June 2021, the essay portion will only be available in states that require it for accountability)

  • Most colleges were currently not requiring the SAT Essay (CB stresses that its AP English Language & Comp and AP English Lit & Comp Exams require essays, and that the Reading, Writing & Language portions of the SAT highlight predictive parts of the SAT)

• CB is investing in a more flexible SAT — a streamlined, digitally-delivered exam that meets the evolving needs of the students and higher education (keeping in step with ACT)

IMPACT ON THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS

• While ‘test optional’ is certainly going to continue with many colleges, college admission exams also will continue, and will morph to accommodate the growing complexities of an ever changing environment—perhaps right into the student’s home.

• Although rigor of course work and grades remain most important, standardizing testing will still play a part in admissions, and especially STEM / Math related type majors.
  

• There continue to be several state / public university grant and scholarship programs that are tied to college entrance exams. Some honors programs consider test scores. In the past, test scores have impacted many admission and scholarship decisions — it will be interesting to examine admission data later in the summer.

• AP Course Exams will be full length (paper-and-pencil) this May (regardless of COVID-19), and teachers now have more freedom in determining contingency testing in late May and June. Coordinators will have the ability to authorize at-home, full-length digital contingency testing during specific testing windows.

  IMPACT ON HOME SCHOOL, PRIVATE & VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

• Pivot to alternative testing such as AP Exams - Update for 2020-21: The deadline for exam ordering will be extended to March 12 for homeschooled students, independent study students, virtual school students, or students from other schools who were unable to find a school to order an AP Exam for them by November 13. In early 2021, CB will provide guidance about how to support students who cannot test in schools.

  • CB is providing resources for AP Exam prep - see myap.collegeboard.org • AP Classroom is an online resource that helps students improve their performance all year long. • It’s mobile friendly, so students can access it anytime, anywhere, once they’ve joined the class online. • AP Classroom includes: ▪ AP Daily Videos ▪ Practice Questions ▪ Personal Progress Checks ▪ Progress Dashboard

    • CB is also offering Course Pacing Guides on AP Central

    • Starting April 19th-30th, CB will be offering live online review sessions

PATRICIA NEHME, CERTIFIED EDUCATIONAL PLANNER

Sources - College Board announcement January 19, 2021

College Board Counselor Presentation - January 21, 2021

College Board AP Exams and IB Exams

Last week, many students were not successful in submitting their at-home, online AP Exams.

Consequently, College Board is addressing the issue with an alternative submission method - BUT ONLY FOR THOSE EXAMS THE WEEK OF THE 18th. See the Washington Post article

For IB Exams, all have been cancelled, and students will receive credit based on the following:

The IB has put into place the following actions:

• The DP and CP examinations scheduled between 30 April and 22 May will no longer be held.

  

• The student will be awarded either the Diploma, Career-related Programme certificate or a course certificate which reflects their standard of work. The achievement will be based around the students’ coursework and the established assessment expertise, rigor and quality control already built into the programmes.

For more on IB - see Covid 19 updates as of May 15th

Accredited Course Providers - by Patricia Nehme, CEP

Students taking courses outside of their school environment, or as an independent learner / homeschooled student, should be very careful about selecting your coursework providers – with some universities, obtaining non-accredited coursework can impact the student’s admission process and, even limit the particular majors in which you can apply to.

While we know this already, what may need to be stressed is that this is true even for AP coursework, approved by College Board, if the course is taken from a non-accredited (or not recognized accreditation) provider.

We know homeschoolers will usually need to take more tests like the APs and Subject Exams, but for a senior taking an AP Course from a non-accredited provider, they will not have the benefit of the AP Exam Score prior to applying for admissions.

As more providers crop up initially without preferred accreditations, they may think and tell their students / families that because the coursework is AP - College Board approved, the accreditation does not matter. But, in fact, students need to know that recognizable accreditations or lack of them, can impact their college lists and they should plan accordingly.

If a school is awarded accreditation, it means that the institution meets certain standards of educational quality. The most widely accepted institutional accrediting bodies in the United States are six regional agencies:

1. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
2. Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
3. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
4. North Central Association (NCA)
5. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
6. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

College Board AP Exams - First two weeks of May

Good luck to the many Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors taking COLLEGE BOARD AP Exams for the next two weeks.

Here in Texas, you have reason to be even more hopeful in gaining college credit - In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a law (HB 1992) that affects the way that public colleges and universities award credit for AP tests. The intent was to increase access to college credit and improve retention and graduation rates for students across the state by requiring credit for AP scores of 3 or higher.

Find colleges and universities that offer credit or placement for AP scores. Begin your search by entering the name of the institution - Search Credit Policies

AP Exams not only offer possible opportunities to strength your college application and gain college credit, but to also receive special recognition such as AP Scholar - see AP Scholar Awards for more information.

College Board does provide a means to cancel and even delete a score - see Other AP Score Report Services

“Your AP Exam Score Reports will be online in July - check your College Board Account. ”

— College Board

Educational Consulting - The Benefits of AP Credit

·       First, understand that colleges and universities use AP Course and Exam information differently. 

-        While APs strengthen your admission application, for the most selective universities, they may still require you to take a particular course instead of opting out. But you will be better prepared for those particular courses. 

-        For competitive public universities, the time constraints of persisting to degree and the fiscal responsibilities of state funding drive admissions to consider a student's potential to graduate within four years. Securing college credit prior to college not only demonstrates college readiness, but the ability to graduate within 4 years.

-        Both private and public universities use AP Courses and Exams as predictors of first year success.  

Later in the year, you will be able to compare your AP Scores with other testers across the country - see National Distribution

For now, to quickly find if a particular university accepts your AP Exam Score, see AP CREDIT POLICY SEARCH.

And finally, do you know about the AP Capstone? AP Capstone is an innovative diploma program that provides students with an opportunity to engage in rigorous scholarly practice of the core academic skills necessary for successful college completion.

 In August, you will be able to log back into your AP account to see if you have qualified as an AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Honors, AP Scholar with Distinction, and for AP State, National or International Recognition - see AP Scholar Awards for qualifications. While these awards are not monetary, they demonstrate academic rigor (college level) which colleges value, as well as contribute to the strength of your college admission and scholarship applications.  

Educational Consulting - AP Exams

AP Exam Scores will be released next week - East Coast July 6th, Texas July 9th, the West Coast July 10th - seehttps://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores

Now is the time to think about AP Exam Options for May 2016 - Some schools, especially those that do not offer many AP Courses, are reluctant to share publicly that all students have the right to be aware of and register for any of the AP Exams. These schools may discourage sharing such information for several reasons. Some schools lack the personnel, space and time to administer additional exams for only a small group of students. Some schools believe that many students will simply not be prepared to perform well on these exams because the student lacks the foundation of the corresponding AP Course. School administration may also fear that the school will somehow be seen as responsible to prepare the student for the exam, and that an ensuing low exam score will be seen as a reflection of the school. When schools routinely offer only those AP Exams in which they have a history of high scores, the school's academic profile looks stronger. 
Students interested in taking AP Exams not normally offered at their school should plan in the fall of their school year to make their request known. They should start with their high school counselor for guidance. Counselors want to help students in reaching academic goals. Plan far in advance and seek out assistance from your high school counselor. Remember, AP Exams can be taken at other school locations.

.     If you attend a school that does not offer a particular AP Course, you can still prepare and take AP Exams. You must contact AP Services by the 1st of March to get the contact info of local testing locations - see AP Student - Identifying Testing Sites . For a description of available exams, see AP Exam Descriptions.  Prepare yourself or take an AP Course from one of the many ONLINE AP Course Providers. 

Educational Consulting - AP Exam Changes

AP Exams are just around the corner. By now, hopefully, you have registered for one or more of these upcoming exams. 

AP Exams can benefit a student in several ways:

1. A student can gain college credit by obtaining certain scores = saving money and precious time. 

2. A student will certainly strengthen their college applications by demonstrating college level work. 

3. Students who enter college with college credit usually get to register for classes earlier than those without college credit. 

4. In an age of Grade Inflation, AP Exams can help support a student's GPA. 

5. AP Exams can provide some prospective when a student might score weaker on the SAT or ACT. 

For more on AP Exams, see College Board AP. 

Questions - Ask Patricia Nehme - My Edu Advisor