Message from the High School - AP Exams Important Information

[Devan Ganeshananthan]

Dear HS students and families,

We write to update you about the upcoming AP exam administration in May and
June—specifically ASL’s current policy of requiring students to sit for an
AP exam in order to receive AP credit for the corresponding course. In
these extraordinary and unprecedented times, we recognize the need for
flexibility while maintaining an excellent educational experience, and so
we have made a one-time change for this upcoming AP exam administration.

We have made the decision not to require students to take AP exams this
year. If a student chooses not to take an AP exam, they will still retain
the AP designation on their transcript and will not have to take a
replacement ASL assessment.

Our aim is to put every student in the optimal position to make the best
individual choice regarding the AP exams during this challenging time. Of
course, we encourage students to take their AP exams if they are able to do
so. An AP exam is a capstone assessment to a rigorous course of study and
as such can provide a sense of satisfying closure at the completion of an
AP course.

There can be significant benefits to having an AP exam score with regards
to college and university plans.


   -

   For Grades 9-11:
   -

      Many non-US institutions require AP exam scores to be reported as a
      part of a college/university application, and offers of
admission are made
      based on reported AP scores from sophomore and junior years (along with
      SAT/ACT scores), as well as predicted AP scores in the senior year.
      -

      AP exam scores are often reported as part of the US
      college/university application as a measure of academic rigor and
      achievement.
      -

   For G12:
   -

      Seniors holding conditional offers from a university will need to
      send AP scores from the exams to meet their conditions.
      -

      A good number of institutions - US and non-US - allow students with
      AP scores to earn college credits and/or place out of
entry-level classes.
      Sometimes, this can have a cost-saving effect for a student and their
      family.


Because of the various nuances of each college/university situation, we
recommend that students and families contact their assigned college
counselor or Mrs. Richardson (for sophomores) with questions in relation to
this decision and its potential impact on the college/university
application process, either now or in the future.

The decision whether or not to take an AP exam does not need to be made
right now.

As you are aware, the process of AP exam administration is different this
year. Each student will receive a unique code from the College Board via
their ASL email, which will allow them to log in to the appropriate AP exam
when it is administered in May. The test schedule is here
<https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/exam-dates-and-fees>. If a
student does not take their exam(s) during the first sitting in May, they
are automatically deferred to the late testing date for the exam(s) in June
and will receive a new unique code for that time frame. If a student does
not then take their exam(s) during the June administration, there are no
further opportunities for testing. Thus, it is a student’s choice when or
if to take the exam(s), and, again, the choice does not have to be made
right now.

Families will be billed for the cost of the exam(s) that their student has
taken after the June late testing exam time frame has concluded. Families
of students receiving financial aid should contact Ken Craig
<ken_craig at asl.org> for assistance and information.

AP teachers will continue to use class time to prepare all students for the
corresponding AP exam, right up until the May exam date. Students are
expected to follow their teacher's course guidelines on completing
assignments and assessments relating to the review even if they are not
taking the exam. After that, students will be assessed on any and all final
ASL coursework in their AP classes. An AP exam will not be used as a graded
assessment as part of any AP course.

In these extraordinary times, with families all over the world and in
varying circumstances, we hope that this one-time change in policy will
allow students and families to make the best choices. We are happy to
answer any questions and look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Devan Ganeshananthan

HS Principal

Anne Richardson

Director of Academic Advising and College Counseling


-- 
*Devan K. Ganeshananthan*
*High School Principal*
*He, him, his*
The American School in London
One Waverley Place
London NW8 0NP
United Kingdom

020 7449 1320
www.asl.org

-- 
In accordance with The Companies (Registrar, Languages and Trading 
Disclosures) Regulations 2006: * Registered name: The American School in 
London Educational Trust Limited * Registered number: 784923 * Place of 
registration: England * Registered office address: One Waverley Place, 
London, NW8 0NP
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