College Board recently released a statement on how they would accommodate schools who closed due to COVID-19.
Schools that will still be open in May will follow the scheduled testing dates, but schools that closed or will close in March or April will have the option of makeup testing dates either in late May or June. College Board recommends that teachers and students use AP Classroom to make up for lost class time. College Board will also release online video lessons starting early April for AP review and last minute content review.
On March 16, College Board Senior Vice President of Advanced Placement Trevor Packer also announced potential changes to AP testing due to coronavirus concerns.
“The AP program is developing resources to help schools support student learning during closures, as well as a solution that would allow students to take AP exams at home, depending on the situation in May,” Packer tweeted.
Sophomore Luke Dodson, who is taking the AP Chemistry and Psychology tests, believes that the alternate testing option would be helpful to an extent.
“I think they’re definitely prioritizing our safety by not forcing us to take it at school,” Dodson said.
Along with AP tests, College Board announced that they would be canceling the May 2 SAT and March 28 makeup testing date. They will be refunding all students who registered for the test or a subject test. The ACT followed similar measures, rescheduling the April 3 national test date to June 13.
Junior Megan Korber, who was scheduled to take the ACT in April, says that postponing the test is a slight problem, but was done in the best interest of her and other students taking the exam.
“I definitely do find it to be somewhat of an inconvenience scheduling-wise since I can’t drive,” Korber said. “But with so many kids in a gym or classroom in close proximity, I do think they’re taking the right precautions.”
Although there may be changes to traditional testing procedure, College Board has assured students and educators that they will work to make sure students will have the resources they need to prepare and perform well on the standardized tests.
“Together with our member schools and colleges, we will be flexible, thoughtful, and collaborative in exploring ways to continue to support student learning and provide opportunities to test during this challenging time,” College Board wrote in an online statement. “Our focus will remain on student safety and during this challenging time, we’re ensuring students have the tools they need and opportunities to receive the credit they’ve earned.”
