Steve Harvey

Name: Steve Harvey

Role: District AP Testing Coordinator

1. What does the new Advanced Placement test format look like? 

“Each test is a 45-minute exam that students can take at home. The only type of question is short-answer. Art, Computer Science Principles, [and] Research and Seminar are “performance only” which means students submit projects without having a typical exam.”

2. What options do students have that no longer want to take their AP test?

“Any student that is currently signed up for the exam and wishes not to take it will get a full refund (this is different from years past). As long as they are still signed up to take the test, they have the option to take the exam until the day the exam is given. They may, at that time, decide if they want to take the exam. There is also a form that Forest Hills sent out in which students can indicate their desire to not take the exam. This is for students that already have decided with certainty that they are not going to take the exam. If any student is even slightly considering still taking the exam, they can wait to decide.” 

3. What options do students have that still want to take their AP test?

“Students that are registered and still want to take the exam will take it based on the new schedule that College Board released. Just like in years past, all students across the country will be taking the exam on the same day at the same time. Students will be sent access information to the email address they used to open their College Board account with instructions on how and when to access the exam.”

4. Will colleges still accept the AP credits from this year?

“Absolutely. According to College Board, colleges will accept qualifying AP scores from the 2020 testing cycle.” 

5. Will students taking AP classes still receive the GPA boost?

“Yes. Students taking AP courses will still receive the GPA boost as in the past.” 

6. What are you doing for students without access to technology to take the test?

“Forest Hills has put out multiple communications to our families to determine which families need assistance with either connectivity or devices. We have loaned out hundreds of devices to our families. In addition, College Board has a link on their website (http://cb.org/tech) for any student that needs help with technology access. We have also had AP teachers and building administration reach out to students to see who may be in need of access to technology.” 

7. How is the district working with teachers to prepare students for the AP tests?

“Obviously this is not an ideal situation, but given the circumstances, teachers have been doing an outstanding job of assisting students remotely with AP exam preparation. How this is done will differ based on the course and the content. The College Board has also put out a lot of exam-specific information for test prep that all students have access to through their College Board accounts. Students can also access Khan Academy and Princeton Review for further assistance.”