On a short list of priority items in next year’s proposed budget, Harford Schools Superintendent Robert M. Tomback has requested a pilot program to pay exam fees for students who take Advanced Placement Exams. The idea is to increase participation in the AP Program offered at all county high schools. The AP Program, devised by the non-profit College Board, includes college-level courses offered in a variety of subjects followed by optional exams each spring.
The $225,000 price tag for Harford’s pilot program is enough to pay one exam fee for each HCPS student taking an AP Exam. The budget figure uses 2,566 students as a basis, which Tomback has said is the number of students who took at least one AP Exam last year. Students who qualify for free and reduced meals can already get fee waivers from the College Board, according to Tomback, so the pilot program is geared to eliminating cost as a factor for students at higher income levels.
For students who pay their own way and pass the tests, AP Exams are a good investment. The $87 cost per exam can lead to college credit for students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on the test. So the question arises, should taxpayers foot the bill for families who can afford to pay for AP Exams? And if providing 2,566 free exams increases student participation in the AP Program, will the benefits be worth the cost overall?
Coming down squarely on the side of more is better, Newsweek magazine produces an annual list of “America’s Best High Schools”, determined by AP Exam participation. A school makes the list based on the number of AP Exams given at the school, divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Both Fallston and C. Milton Wright high schools have made the list in the past, but Newsweek has been criticized because AP Exam results are not a factor in the rankings. In other words, schools with high exam participation rates are labeled “the best”, while schools with high passing rates may be left out.
Jay Matthews, creator of Newsweek’s “America’s Best High Schools”, defends the rankings, saying the idea is to encourage more than just the top students to take AP Exams. Matthews points to studies showing that among the best predictors of college success is academic rigor in high school, and he cites research indicating that students who got only a 2 on the AP Exam did better in college than those who hadn’t taken an AP Exam at all.
Harford Schools Superintendent Tomback appears to agree in principle. Even students who don’t pass the test benefit from the “academic experience”, Tomback said at a recent budget work session.“ In an earlier press conference on the budget, Tomback offered overall support for the AP Program saying, “Participation in the AP Program is important for students getting ready to graduate.”
On the other side of the coin is Philip Sadler, a Harvard University researcher and author of the 2010 book “AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program”. For students who are unprepared, Sadler questions the value of expanding the AP Program, both in terms of resources expended and the benefits to students who might be better served by courses tailored to their needs. In an article about his book on the Harvard Gazette Web site, Sadler offers the following conclusion from his research: “AP classes give a lot to the top students, but pouring money into the program and trying to give every student an AP education is not efficient or effective.”
School Board Member Bob Frisch raised questions about the Harford County program at a recent budget work session. Frisch, who is also a high school teacher in Baltimore County, wanted to know if students who were doing poorly in AP courses would still have their exams paid for under the pilot program, and whether AP courses were open enrollment. In response, Superintendent Tomback said that the intent was to pay for the tests irrespective of students’ grades in AP classes, but that students might pay up front and be reimbursed after the fact. Tomback also said that enrollment in AP courses was determined in consultation with teachers.
A school board vote on the entire HCPS budget was delayed last week due to the weather, and has been rescheduled for January 24. As board members consider whether or not to approve the pilot program to pay for AP Exams, here’s a look at the latest AP participation and performance data for each high school, provided to The Dagger by Harford County Public Schools.
I think this is a great idea. Maybe not have the county pay for taking the test but at least the PTA. Some schools already pay to have the kids take the PSATs which is a total waste of time and funds. At least pay for a test that actually counts and can affect a students life.
FWIW, the PSATs are the way to qualify for the National Merit Scholarships and a few others.
For those that excel on the test, they are hardly worthless.
As for the idea of paying for AP exams, I don’t get it. The benefit of taking and doing well on those tests is college credit (potentially). Seems like enough incentive on its own.
Are folks just unaware of the benefits of AP? Maybe awareness just needs to be raised.
I don’t know about other high schools, but at Bel Air, the PSAT is free and mandatory for all students during their sophomore year. You can only receive National Merit recognition during the junior year of high school, so the having the school pay for the test during the sophomore year is stupid. Just something that’s always irked me.
The reasoning for students taking the test as sophomores is that it lets students practice in hopes that they will score better. It hasn’t seemed to work the last fews years as I do not remember the last time BAHS had a National Merit Finalist (commended, yes, finalist, no).
What would make sense is to have everyone take it as sophomores and have those who score high take it as juniors when it counts. Of course, that would be elitist and against most HCPS policy.
The data provided by HCPS is not complete. We would be better served by obtaining comparable data. For example
1. Which AP courses were offered at each high school?
2. How many students took the course but NOT the test?
3. For each test at each school, how many 5’s, 4’s, 3’s,2’s
and 1’s were scored in each subject?
4. How many tests were taken in the “varsity” subjects such
as Bio, Chem, Physics, Calculus AB, BC ?
I would hope that someone at the Dagger can dig up this
information becuase it always seems to be unavailable for
some reason
There is an earlier dagger story that includes most of that data on last years scores.
That’s correct and that report was critical of the county wide AP program in some of the areas I mentioned. I would like to see the new data for a comparison to note if any improvements have occured or if we are stagnating or going backward in any areas.
The article had the data for the most current school year availible as I recall tests taken in May 2010 as I recall. That is the most current data.
Could you post a link to that data? The only detailed data I remember seeing from HCPS was posted fall 2009 from the May 2009 tests. As usual, HCPS is not forthcoming with any data, good or bad.
TP – I have requested this data for 2010 and will post it as soon as I receive it from HCPS.
The 2009 data can be found here:
http://www.daggerpress.com/2009/11/17/harford-schools-advanced-placement-results-show-passing-rates-dont-assure-college-level-success/
They will not release this data internally either. The only items we have been able to obtain are a list of which AP courses are offered at which schools and the number of students enrolled compared to the number of students who actually took the AP tests in 2010. The magnet school programs are not disagregated from the zoned school populations in this report.
Some items that stand out in this report are the fact that not every school offers the same selection of AP courses. Also revealing are a few instances where a high number of students took the AP course but that very few (zero in two cases) students actually took the AP test.
You would be doing a great service to parents and staff by shining some sunlight on this data. Thanks again.
Here’s an idea…..take the $225K and provide the kids with better meal choices at lunch. The current choices are laughable as far as nutritional value goes (at least at our elementary school). Gatorade, Ice Cream, French Fries are made available every day. What a joke. That’s why we only let our kids buy lunch at most once per week. I know….we’re just horrible parents….
Better nutrition = Better concentration = Better Test Scores = More Opportunity for kids to take an AP exam FUNDED BY THEIR PARENTS (or subsidized in the case of kids that really need the assistance).
When will this utter spending stupidity end.
My objection to this is the watering down of AP classes. I agree that a rigorous class and scoring a 2 can be beneficial to a kid. The problem in lies when EVERY kid is shuffled into AP and then the class loses its rigor because of expected grade success. I have seen to many times where a kid earns a B in an AP class and the parent complains for an A so the material becomes easier so that they all get weighted good grades. An A in an AP class should require hard work and mastery of the subject, just like an A in a college course. It needs to be explained to parents up front that it is essentially a college course and if you are not willing to do college work then this is not the course for you!
My objection to this is the watering down of AP classes. I agree that a rigorous class and scoring a 2 can be beneficial to a kid. The problem in lies when EVERY kid is shuffled into AP and then the class loses its rigor because of expected grade success. I have seen to many times where a kid earns a B in an AP class and the parent complains for an A so the material becomes easier so that they all get weighted good grades. An A in an AP class should require hard work and mastery of the subject, just like an A in a college course. It needs to be explained to parents up front that it is essentially a college course and if you are not willing to do college work then this is not the course for you!
How does paying for the test water down the AP class? I agree with you that AP now stands for “average placement” but the school system already wastes money on paying for 10th and 11th grade PSAT. At least this test counts for something. If they are going to pay for kids to take tests, I would much rather see my tax dollar spent on a test that has a chance to affect a students life than a test that does not count at all.
In and of it self it does not but here is what it doesn’t. What ends up happening is kids get pushed into AP who should not be in AP the darling gets a C and screams for an A or the work is to hard or the grading is to hard and the next thing you know school A has 3 sections of AP bio in which may 20 kids belong in it and have the correct motives in mind. When you are paying $85 for a test you take more ownership. I would be in favor of kids and parents signing must test agreements and pay for the test. Then if they pass it they get the money back.
So let’s just take the kids away from the parents and also let those kids who are unhappy with their parents because they are pushed to hard leave home for a state run program of full time care. That way our tax contributions come back to the county for the dormatories at the camps the kids will soon live in. In the camps all kids will take AP courses – yes their rigor will get watered down, but they will all get a participation trophy paid for with the $225K in entrance fees. (only half kidding) AP is not for everyone. Just like college is not for everyone. A trade school is just right for some but our school system has stigmatized this career route.
Are people out there compoaigning about this terrible AP test fee? Hardship kids already get it waived. Does a magazine that says high schools that have lots of test takers (not high scorers) make us feel ashamed in Harford Cty?
Ask yourself who benefits from this proposed change and $225K budget add in? If more students participate (you get your participation trophy) then Harford Cty schools get more notariety. Who benefits … wait for it … the superintendent because he can use it in his bonus presentation!!
The school system wants $26M more this year. Did you know that other County Depts. have been asked to cut their budgets even more? For example just recently the States Attorney Office was asked/told to cut another 3% from last years fundig level. The paralegals and attorney’s and clericals have not had a step increase for 2 or 3 yrs. They have had 10 furlough days (a full pay check lost) each of the last two years. did the teachers have any furlough days? Get a look at the States Attorney salary schedule compared to Howard and Montgomery and see the same argument as the teachers make. And these county employees work all year around.
I say take this AP program and these other programs out of play in the school system budget until the whole county budget gets back to some fairness. Because one day all the other county agency budgets will need to be re-sized to make up for the lost ground and the growing population requirements of the county. Save it where you can now.
The school budget has room for cuts from the current request. For example the $225K request to pay for stucdents AP exam entrance fee. Are people out there compaigning about this terrible AP test fee? Hardship kids already get it waived. Does a magazine report that says high schools that have lots of test takers (not high scorers) have the best schools make us feel ashamed in Harford Cty?
Ask yourself who benefits from this proposed change and $225K budget add in? If more students participate (you get your participation trophy) then Harford Cty schools get more notariety. Who benefits … wait for it … the superintendent because he can use it in his annual bonus justification presentation as if the Board of Ed would deny it anyway. Yes the relationships between the school boards and the superintendent must be good but not cozy. By the way – How can the Board’s public tax dollar paid employee also be a member of the Board? Cut out the $225K.
The school system wants $26M more this year. Did you know that other County Depts. have been asked to cut their budgets even more? For example just recently the States Attorney Office was asked/told to cut another 3% from last years fundig level. The paralegals and attorney’s and clericals have not had a step increase for 2 or 3 yrs. They have had 10 furlough days (a full pay check lost) each of the last two years. did the teachers have any furlough days? Get a look at the States Attorney salary schedule compared to Howard and Montgomery and see the same argument as the teachers make. And these county employees work all year around.
I say take this AP program and these other programs out of play in the school system budget until the whole county budget gets back to some fairness. Because one day all the other county agency budgets will need to be re-sized to make up for the lost ground and the growing population requirements of the county. Save it where you can now.
“Coming down squarely on the side of more is better, Newsweek magazine produces an annual list of “America’s Best High Schools”, determined by AP Exam participation. A school makes the list based on the number of AP Exams given at the school, divided by the number of graduating seniors.”
And this explains why Tomback is suggesting it. To me, paying for exams will just lower the percent of those passing. If low-income students can already get fee waivers, which they can, what is the point of paying for the tests?
Now, some students self select and choose not to take the test because they haven’t put in the time or the course itself is faulty and historically few people pass the test (see science and foreign language scores). However, paying for the test will get more students to take it because they are paying for it anyway. I think this is the dumbest idea yet out of HCPS, and that is a crowded field.
From the BOE meeting 1/24/11, Mr. Frisch made a motion to remove the “HCPS paying for AP testing” item from the budget.
Krchnavy, Wheeler, and Wolkow voted against, but it carried with Frisch, Grambo, Evans, and Osman in favor of removal of funding for this pilot program.
FY2012 Operating Budget Approved, AP Exam Fee Payment Cut:
http://www.daggerpress.com/2011/01/24/harford-county-board-of-education-approves-fy2012-operating-budget-cuts-line-item-for-ap-exams/
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