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In general if students do not take the test it reflects poorly on an AP course, which may lead to it's dissolution. This is me protecting AP Studio Art as a program. The entire course revolves around completing and submitting your portfolio to the College Board
I understand his point. But having students "buy" the grade is not the right way to go about this.
Sounds like he's protecting his job. Is there much of a call for AP art? Sounds like there aren't enough students to keep it viable compared to AP Calc and APUSH.
I don't know if she signed up for anything, but if she did, it wouldn't matter because she is a minor and cannot enter an agreement or contract that is legally binding.
The teacher emailed me that he explained this requirement to the students at the beginning of the year and that the students knew that taking the test would be a large part of the grade.
However, my daughter as a minor would not be paying for this test. I would. So while the teacher may have informed his students about this requirement, I certainly was not told. I did not agree to fund this.
I believe he does not have authority to require this. I'm hoping someone here can confirm that.
So you knew about the exam requirements because she’s taken other AP classes.
Don’t you have to sign off on her class choices and sign the beginning of the year paperwork which includes course expectations?
ETA: Why are you worried about it if she’s already gotten into college? It sounds like you already have your mind made up about her taking it.
In Virginia the law states that if a school requires a student to take the AP to get full credit for the course, then they can't require the student to pay the fees. This was an issue in our district a few years ago:
Umm, I just noticed this. There is no exam for AP Studio Art. Either Drawing or 2D. The portfolio submission is the "exam". There is an exam AP Art History.
She can always submit an incomplete portfolio but she'll likely get a 1.
Oh. The school is screwing you on the fee. It's $94. The school automatically gets $15 or so of that back for every student taking the test not on FARM (who pay a reduced fee of around $55 or so).
This has nothing to do with a "free education". Upon reflection it sounds as though the teacher is "selling" the grade.
Another thing. It's too late for her to register for the test/portfolio submission. That has to be done by the middle of March, by the school's AP Coordinator who orders all the tests/portfolios, accompanied by payment from the school.
Not only is there no exam and only a submission of a portfolio.....the deadline to submit it was last week so it's way too late for any of this.
Payments would likely have had to be made no later than end of March. So the question of being made to pay should have been asked and answered almost 2 months ago.
Yes, generally speaking, AP classes can require students take the AP exam as a condition of taking the course. Who has to pay for it will vary by district - there should be some official policy on file somewhere, snoop through your school or district website, or the school board's online documents. If they don't have a policy about this, or if their policy is not great, I'd suggest suggesting to the appropriate admin (someone in charge of curriculum, probably) that they get something firmed up, maybe suggest it to the school board as well. Do something nice for future students.
Given that AP Art is a VERY elective elective course, and your kid didn't have to sign up for it in the first place, and this was apparently all in the course syllabus...well. I'm not sure you have much of a leg to stand on here, even if it all feels somewhat off-kilter. Good lesson for your kid about reading the fine print, and about honoring her agreements, and thinking before she enters into them. I mean, it'd be one thing if she'd actually done the portfolio and just didn't want to pay to have it evaluated, but she didn't even do the required coursework. That's a responsibility issue even if the course policy is screwed up, and I don't know that you're doing her any long-term favors by trying to find a loophole for her. "Rules lawyers" don't make a good impression on college professors.
I don't know if she signed up for anything, but if she did, it wouldn't matter because she is a minor and cannot enter an agreement or contract that is legally binding.
The teacher emailed me that he explained this requirement to the students at the beginning of the year and that the students knew that taking the test would be a large part of the grade.
However, my daughter as a minor would not be paying for this test. I would. So while the teacher may have informed his students about this requirement, I certainly was not told. I did not agree to fund this.
I believe he does not have authority to require this. I'm hoping someone here can confirm that.
Minors can indeed enter into legally binding contracts.
The OP is not going to get an answer specific to her situation on CD. As has been illustrated by many posters here, requirements for enrolling, testing and paying for AP courses vary state by state, school by school, and, possibly, class by class.
The first step I would be taking is to confirm with a guidance counselor, curriculum coordinator, department head or principal that the teacher's explanation does, in fact, represent the official policy of the school. Requesting this determination in writing would put the responder on notice that the topic is being taken seriously and they need to be 100% correct. Using terms like "extortion," while possibly accurate may not get the desired result but create an atmosphere of defensiveness rather than conciliation. This contact could be made by the student or the parent, although it appears that the parent has already gone beyond the point where the student's involvement would be preferred.
If the answer is not satisfactory the next step would be to contact the superintendent, although these titles may vary by location. The Board of Education would be the final local contact before contacting the State Education Department, although all these contacts may be obviated by first attempting to determine if the state has a published policy regarding the subject.
Double period class equivalent to a first year college studio art class. Open to seniors who have shown exceptional ability in art. Emphasis on critical decision making, independent studio work, investigation of formal and conceptual issues, and development of technical skills concerning the visual art elements. Students will be prepared to submit a portfolio of work and slides to the College Board for scoring. Could receive college credits or advanced placement standing depending upon their scores and policies of individual colleges. *Offered as RCBC Cap Course. Prerequisite: Art Major I or Sculpture.
I am in NJ and our AP fee is $96, plus $15 if registered late. Student can sign up for the course, it still needs parent's signature for approval.
I don't think OP understand that this AP course is different than the other ones. Typically, an AP course is offered to prepare a student for taking the College Board AP test for the subject. It is not the case for this course, unless the school in question has a description different than the example above. It's not a case about a teacher being lazy.
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It should be noted that the number of students who take an AP course exam in the school factors into the school's excellence rating.
(Not sure why, how about how many students did well on the exam, rather than just sat for it).
That may be a factor here - if the school district has already spent the money to have this student take an AP course, they want to benefit from being able to tic the box that she took the exam.
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