Only a month into the school year, MCPS hallways are bustling with rumors about AP exams in the spring.
The most conversation-stirring news from the week of Sept. 4 was about a new policy that mandated free AP Exams to all MCPS students. The information was initially spread to the community through a newsletter on Smore.com, a website that provides students, staff and parents/guardians with the latest school news and community updates. According to the newsletter, “Beginning in the school year 2023–2024, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will pay for all Advanced Placement (AP) in alignment with the Maryland Blueprint and the MCPS strategic plan.”
This means that AP and IB course exams are free for all MCPS students who are registered before the registration deadline of Nov. 15 and enrolled in the corresponding course.
Students were doubtful of the legitimacy of the news. Some teachers were informing their classes about the change early on. “My math teacher told our class that AP exams would be covered by MCPS on the first day of school and we were all excited to hear that we wouldn’t have to pay this year,” senior Kelly Ren said.
Other people were confused and received mixed messages. “My social studies teacher told us he didn’t think that was true and that it was unlikely MCPS would find the money to cover all their student’s AP exams,” senior Holden O’Brien said.
Despite the controversy, it was confirmed that the exams would indeed be paid for. Assistant principal and AP Exam coordinator Bradley Rohner is responsible for registering students for the exams come May. “It’ll be a lot easier to be registered this year because the only thing students will need to do is ensure they have logged into AP Classroom using their join codes for the course,” Rohner said.
According to Rohner, MCPS indicated that they will be looking into including AP test costs in their budget for this school year. “When the budget was approved over the summer, they communicated it out to MCPS high schools,” Rohner said.
Maryland passed the Maryland Blueprint law in 202,1 which catapulted this policy. The state is ensuring counties are putting aside money to cover exams for their students. Other states including Florida made this change in their education systems earlier than Maryland. College Board’s data shows that Florida was in the top five states that had the highest-performing students for AP exams in 2023. Twelve states fully fund AP Exams while 22 more fund the exams for low-income students. AP Economics and AP Government teacher Christopher McTamany is also a test grader. “I grade the exams, and when grading the ones from states that pay for and have everybody take the exams, I see lot of tests where kids don’t answer the questions or don’t even make an effort to. It’s a statistical move to show the states have a bunch of people taking the exams. I understand MCPS’s reason behind it is equity, but I don’t think it does a whole lot to make sure students pass the exams or do well,” McTamany said.
Students may come ill-prepared for exams since they are cost-free, posing challenges for graders and AP data collectors. “With costs being covered, I hope students will continue to be motivated to prepare for the exams properly throughout the year,” counselor Ann Redman said.
It can also be tempting to stack up on AP courses, knowing there is no cost to take the exam and earn a college credit. However, Rohner feels it is important that students maintain a balanced workload despite the free cost. “Our students have plenty of sports and extracurricular activities, so I believe in balancing your schedule and being aware of the rigor of AP Classes when signing up,” Rohner said.
Disapproval of the new policy also stems from the lack of spending in other, arguably more important, aspects of the school system as there were existing accommodations for reduced exam costs with the old policy. Other aspects that could use funding include site renovations.
Financial aid was already given to students who needed it before the policy was changed. There were options to apply for a waiver to decrease the price of the exam. “AP exams are a huge expense that does not need to be paid for by the county. We already had a waiver program to waive the cost or make it free for people with financial difficulties,” McTamany said.
On the other hand, plenty will benefit from the policy. Students who shied away from taking exams due to the cost now have a barrier removed. “It’ll level the playing field for all students. Worrying about the cost of an exam shouldn’t be something that prevents a student from challenging themselves in their academics,” Rohner said.
