The shortfall of digital AP exams
I saw in my inbox something I had been waiting weeks for: AP Testing Schedule 2021. As I opened the email, I was immediately drawn to the table where I searched for my AP courses – U.S. History “Digital Remote,” English Language “Digital Remote,” Calc AB/BC “Digital Remote,” Physics 1 “Digital Remote.”
In fact, my only AP exam which would be administered in-person was my Spanish Language test which was mandated by the College Board. Even after the Mountain View–Los Altos School Board has decided to give students the choice to opt-in for AP exams in addition to language exams, I realized to my horror that the online AP exams would put students at a disadvantage. Not only that, but the Board’s decision was made entirely without student input.
Not only would the digital format not allow test-takers to review answered questions and preview unanswered portions to help with pacing, some exams will have completely different structures, with new multiple-choice sections and alterations to free-response questions.
All answers would be entered online, eliminating any handwritten submission as required by last year’s online format; mathematical expressions will be entered via clicking on symbols within the test application. I would have two STEM exams on the same day, each lasting three hours, which will mean six hours of on-screen testing and clicking away symbols — I can already feel the headache.
The College Board is offering three testing windows for 2021 AP exams: Administration 1 (in-person testing from Monday, May 3, to Monday, May 17), Administration 2 (a mix of both formats from Tuesday, May 18, to Friday, May 28) and Administration 3 (online testing from Tuesday, June 1, to Friday, June 11). Our school had picked Administration 3 to be the sole exam window for all non-world-language subjects.
Looking to Other Schools
Many districts in the Bay Area such as Los Gatos–Saratoga, Sequoia Union, Campbell Union, New Haven Unified and Pleasanton Unified are offering both paper-and-pencil and digital formats spanning Administration 1, 2 and 3, with many districts avoiding Administration 3 in June to prevent schedule conflicts with finals and graduation.
Dublin Unified and Saratoga high schools are looking into off-site venues to seat spillover students for in-person testing, and Gunn High School is offering the Administration 2 window for in-person STEM exams after surveying students’ preferences.
Internet Equity
Internet access equity is a major concern with students requiring three hours (one exam) to six hours (two exams) of stable WiFi connection and a quiet home environment. This long length of on-screen testing can also affect students’ performance negatively, commonly caused by screen fatigue.
While the College Board stated that the secure browser will continue to operate in case of a dropped internet connection, last year’s technical hiccups did not bode well. With the shorter 45-minute online exam last year, many students nationally and internationally experienced exam submission and software stall problems which resulted in a federal class action lawsuit filed against the College Board.
It is important to note that AP exams are accessed synchronously both nationally and internationally at 12 p.m. EDT and 4 p.m. EDT. With 1.21 million students taking 4.1 million exams last year, the College Board will need to ensure that its data network is capable of servicing simultaneous requests from these many students.
Given the technical issues with the shorter exam last year and the fact that the College Board has sworn off an at-home SAT, I am uncertain how well College Board has tested the new digital architecture for this year’s longer exams. AP Students are practically conducting quality assurance testing for their new digital deployment.
The Digital Exam: a Completely New Test
The digital exams’ content differs from the traditional tests with additional multiple-choice sections and shortened free-response questions in many STEM subjects, while also removing the option to pick from multiple prompts in U.S. History and European History.
Because history subjects encompass a wide breadth of topics that command details, pencil-and-paper test-takers will benefit from prompt options for the short-answer question (SAQ) and long-essay question (LEQ) portions. This combined with the linear multiple choice section poses a significant challenge for students.
Subjects such as Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry and Microeconomics will allow calculators for the entire digital exam (they are usually only allowed in certain sections) — this is not necessarily good news as it presages harder multiple-choice questions. And these are the harder questions that cannot be reviewed.
Testing with Caps and Gowns
The late Administration 3 window has eight digital AP exams between Monday, June 7, to Thursday, June 10, which means many seniors will need to return from celebrating graduation to take exams. Students have also brought up the issue that Chemistry and Physics E&M have clashing test times, with some lamenting the five exams they would have had to take within 31 hours on Wednesdays, June 9, and Thursday, June 10, all online.
I can reason why so many school districts are offering multiple test windows to mitigate these issues by spreading out tests more optimally. Seniors who need their AP scores for college credit and college course selection risk their score reports in case of technical hiccups during any exams. The College Board has not yet announced a contingency plan for Administration 3 make-ups.
A Change.org for the Better
Many students and parents have been urging our schools to provide test format options in additional test windows for MVLA students. I am relieved and thankful that our schools have decided to offer some in-person AP Exams during the Administration 2 window (Calculus AB/C, Chemistry, Physics 1/C and Statistics), although all non-STEM subjects, Biology, Environmental Science and Computer Science will remain online.
It is not lost on me the unimaginable challenges this past year our school leaders and teachers have taken on. Through more open dialogue and transparent communication, MVLA will come out a leader with the capability of serving the needs of such a diverse student population.
Galen Rosenberg | Apr 12, 2021 at 12:55 pm
I understand the anxiety students and parents experience when they confront changes like a new AP exam schedule and format. It is understandable that they would have reactions and opinions based on their previous experience and expectations.
I’d like to share a few observations:
Students have always had to deal with AP scheduling conflicts with other events, and sometimes had to take two exams on the same day. The College Board, for decades, has had a schedule of exams that the schools attempt to work around, but some students end up with major assignments due during AP exams, athletic contests or other events that conflict with exams, etc. Having some exams scheduled after our District’s graduation date was new, but on the face of it not an unmanageable challenge for all but a perhaps a few test takers. There has never been “choice” about the AP exam schedule, for all kinds of security, management and logistical reasons. It doesn’t make sense to me that one would expect “choice” now.
The College Board is arguably the organization with the most experience in the world with creating and managing academic testing that is valid and reliable. They have been conducting exams online for years. Certainly the development of new online, remote testing for some AP exams as a result of the pandemic was a big change implemented quickly, but the College Board knows what it is doing– certainly with more scientific backing and credibility than students who wonder if the digital testing is “fair.” I have no doubt that the College Board knows how to create and score tests that are valid and reliable. Some students may feel that they will score better with pen and paper over digital platforms, but they definitely do not know that; the College Board has plenty of data to confirm that the tests results will be the valid, reliable and fair, regardless of test format. Should we make decisions based on training, expertise and professional experience or on the opinions of persons who genuinely feel a certain way, but lack that knowledge and experience?
One of the most visible social phenomena of the pandemic era has been the challenge institutions have had in “following the science.” It’s become a cliche. The conflict over the AP exam testing schedule was one micro example of our school district responding to the expressed desires of a group who thinks it knows what it wants– the choice of AP exam schedule and format– and pressured the institution to give into that preference. Like many conflicts in our current era, schools spend a lot of time and resources responding to the expressed desires of some populations– usually those with the social, economic and political capital to get what they want. Those without that capital, who really do have needs that are not being adequately addressed, do not get the attention and the resources they need, in part, because we spend so much time responding to the expressed interests of those who are doing just fine, and will continue to do so, whether they get what they think they want or not.
Public schools are part of our democratic system and should reflect the needs and interests of our community. Our democratic system does need to get better at reflecting the real needs and interests of our whole community, however, especially those who lack the social, economic and political power that other constituencies have. Part of that is being able to say “no” sometimes. I wish we had said “no” in this case, as the factual explanation for that “no” is sound, and saying “yes” just gives more weight to a system already heavily biased toward the interests of some students over others.