Coordinating the AP Exams

1. Coordinating the AP Exams • Presented by Jill Pepe • AP Coordinator/School Counselor • Coral Springs Charter School College Board APSI for Administrators June 19-21, 2013 Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Jacksonville, FL 1

2. You are told you are now responsible for the AP exams… Take a deep breath and relax…it will be okay. The key is organization and preparation! 2

3. Countdown to exams • At the beginning of the school year: purchase a 3 ring binder to keep everything organized. • Place exam schedule on school website and school calendar & check for conflicts. • Send link for AP Central to all AP teachers to encourage use. Coordinating the AP Exams 3

4. Beginning of school year cont’d… • School policy- all students must test? • Take a look at which exams you will have to administer based on courses you offer. • Get an idea of approximately how many exams you will need to order by looking at class totals. • Return the AP participation survey – due mid November and will be addressed to the Principal. Start keeping an eye out for it sometime in September • Make a copy and use as a reference in the future Coordinating the AP Exams 4

5. On site vs. off site testing • At the beginning of the year, you need to determine the testing site. • Some things to keep in mind: • Off campus testing- availability, location, transportation of students and exam materials , facility fee, space, rooms, chairs, tables, acoustics, environment, accessibility, reliability, clean up. Coordinating the AP Exams 5

6. On site vs. off site • On Campus testing- disruptions (bells, announcements, other students not testing, fire drill), rooms, desks, space. • Storage of materials • Proctors Coordinating the AP Exams 6

7. Mid-year • Compile an initial list of your exam order. • Pull class rosters, ask teachers to verify students that are testing. • Check virtual school rosters to see if any student is taking an AP course online. • Compile list of any home school/private school students taking exams. • If students are paying for exams be sure create database to keep track of all money. Coordinating the AP Exams 7

8. Mid-Year cont’d… • Distribute AP Bulletin to each student. • If your school uses AP Potential, begin process of identifying potential students for next year. Possible ways to inform students is to generate a letter, or hold an AP night. • Read the AP Coordinators manual, highlight/flag important pages…know it front to back! Coordinating the AP Exams 8

9. Create AP testing schedule including testing locations, room count, proctors and lastly student rosters. • Be sure you know which students are receiving accommodations and you are able to meet their needs. • Notify students that may need to test at a different site due to exam availability. • Prepare/test special equipment for specific exams (foreign language, music, art etc.) Coordinating the AP Exams 9

10. Pre-administration Session • Hold a pre-administration session for all AP students to fill out their answer sheets and AP student pack information. Use AP downloads for script, then edit to fit your needs. • I pre-stuff 12x18 envelopes with one AP student pack, one answer sheet and an exam schedule for each student. Coordinating the AP Exams 10

11. Pre-administration set up Coordinating the AP Exams 11

12. Pre-administration • Each student receives an envelope and a pencil and then is asked to place their name, the names & dates of the exams they will be taking on the outside of the envelope. • Have students place an AP number label on the outside of the envelope • You can ask the students to raise their hands if they are taking multiple exams and need more than one answer sheet or you can add the extra answer sheets at a later time (this option saves time during the session). • Then I proceed with the script from the College Board. Coordinating the AP Exams 12

13. Pre-administration • After the assembly, I collect the envelopes and then alphabetize the envelopes and place them in boxes alongside the exams. • This will make it much easier for me to pull the students envelope on the day of their exam. Coordinating the AP Exams 13

14. Pre-administration • You can place a color sticker on the outside of the envelope for students taking 2 exams in one day. • I then electronically scan the barcode from the AP student pack for each student into my excel spreadsheet so I have a copy of their student number. Coordinating the AP Exams 14

15. Organize your Exams • Make sure to inventory all your exams when they arrive • I use plastic bins for the tests and materials. Coordinating the AP Exams 15

16. Organize your exams Coordinating the AP Exams 16

17. The Week before exams begin… • Make sure your bins are prepared for each day. All exams should be ready to go out from day one, but you will have to check the roster before each test day to ensure that all the student’s envelopes are ready for the exam. • If you are testing off campus, make sure your exams are in one secure room where you can distribute them to the proctors. Coordinating the AP Exams 17

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20. AP Art Digital Submission • Check out the AP digital submission page and set up your account. Follow instructions on how to inform your teachers and students on how to create an account and submit their work. • Make sure you check the status of each submission before the deadline! • Meet with art teachers to confirm and then send all art submissions, before deadline. Coordinating the AP Exams 20

21. AP Emergency Kit • Get a small plastic tote with a cover. • Place inside extra bubble sheets, student packs, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, calculators, staplers, rubber bands, tissues, band aids, sticky notes, loose-leaf paper and blank empty envelopes. Coordinating the AP Exams 21

22. During testing • Count all exam materials after the exam is finished. Take bubble sheets and cross reference them with your fee waiver list and bubble accordingly. • Begin to pack away all exams for scoring. Split shipment is a beautiful thing! • I pack all exams away in provided boxes and stack answer sheets in pre-counted piles ready to go into return envelopes. • Never seal anything until the last day and you are absolutely certain everything is accounted for! Coordinating the AP Exams 22

23. Miscellaneous… • Always prepare for the unexpected. I always tell my proctors about what to do in the event of a disturbance (cell phone) or someone getting sick. • Late exams- Keep track of the student name, exam name, reason, and if they have to pay for exam along with the schedule. Coordinating the AP Exams 23

24. Misc… • Language exams- Always have more headsets/microphones, tape recorders and CD players available as a back up. • Use more than one room if possible. • Ask the AP teacher to have students practice BEFORE the exams so they are familiar with exam and equipment. Coordinating the AP Exams 24

25. Misc… • Keep a call log for every time you call AP for help. Write down the case # and agent ID for future reference. • Cross check your rosters before creating shipments, and invoice to make sure your numbers match. Make copies of everything. Coordinating the AP Exams 25

26. Questions or comments? We hope that this information will put you at ease when AP season begins for next year. Thank you! Coordinating the AP Exams 26

27. Contact information: Jill Pepe jpepe@coralspringscharter.org 954-340-4113 Coordinating the AP Exams 27