Parents and Students
Advanced Placement courses are offered to enable students
to get college credit while still attending high school.
The availability of and access to Advanced Placement courses
vary, but they are highly desirable and rigorous academic
classes. Students who take even one Advanced Placement course
have a 45% higher probability of finishing college than those
who do not.
In 2003, Illinois public high school students had higher
overall performance on Advanced Placement exams than students
from any other state. The national average of students that
scored three or higher was 59.7 percent compared to 72.8
percent of Illinois students.
The Illinois State Board of Education received
a Federal grant award to assist high school students who
are taking advanced placement college-level exams. High school
students who meet the financial need requirements as stipulated
for the identification of low-income individuals in the No
Child Left Behind Act of 1994 will be eligible for reduced
fees for both the College Board Advanced Placement Exams
and the International Baccalaureate subject-area exams. More
information can be accessed at: www.apcentral.collegeboard.com (for
AP professionals) and www.collegeboard.com/apstudents (for
AP students and parents).
Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunches
at school qualify for fee reduction on all AP Exams they
take that year. The cost is $84 for each exam
that will be taken in 2008. A qualifying student will receive
a $22 fee reduction from the College Board, a $54 fee reduction
from the state of Illinois, and the school can forgo its
$8 test fee therefore the cost for the student is zero.
The free or reduced lunch status is recommended
to be used as the criteria, however, there are alternative
criteria: if a student's family receives assistance under
part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act, or if a student
is eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid
program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, or if
the student is a member of a family whose taxable income
for the preceding year did not exceed 150% of the poverty
level as established by the U.S. Census Bureau.
For more information, contact Marica Cullen at 217/557-7323 or mcullen@isbe.net.
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