Prepare to pay for APs.
One of the numerous proposed changes Fairfax County is considering for next year is requiring students to pay for their own AP testing. Fairfax County is unique in the fact that it has previously not required this. The prices for each test range from $40 to $80.
Requiring students to pay for their AP tests is a sure fire way to discourage people from taking any APs at all.
Now, one large factor that is thrown into the decision to take AP classes is whether or not we are wasting money. Students will have to face the reality that unless they pass the AP test they wasted not only a year of schooling but a nice chunk of change too. No pressure. Many students are on the fence enough about whether they can handle an AP class and making them pay for it might just push them over the fence altogether.
Not to mention that some students cannot afford to take one if not multiple of these tests. Now the question becomes: which class is worth it? Which class do you think you can pass?
Then this situation pits the teachers against each other to market their class more to students. Now not only are the elective classes fighting to stay alive, but the AP classes as well. The classes are stressful enough by themselves, but with the requirement to pay for them, we add the pressure of recruitment into the mix also.
The future of this decision is easy to predict. Fewer students will take AP classes. More AP classes get removed completely. There are fewer classes to teach and too many teachers. More teachers get laid off. WS loses its wonderful teachers and goes downhill into a black hole. Maybe that last one is a little farfetched, but that doesn’t mean that the rest won’t happen. On top of this, Fairfax County will lose its high ranking AP test scores that it turns out every year.
All in all, there are so many possible and clear negative effects that come from requiring students to pay for their AP tests. Fairfax County may be the only county to not ask this, but maybe other counties should take a note from Fairfax’s book. The stress is high enough with AP classes and we don’t need to add the extra pressure of money into the mix.