AP Coordinators

Topics

• Benefits of an AP Program
• Support from AP
• Organizing the AP Program
• Remitting Your AP Invoice
• The AP Checklist
• Finding a School Code
• Obtaining a School Code

The AP Coordinator

The Coordinator may be a full- or part-time administrator or counselor, or a faculty member who is not teaching an AP course or does not have a child taking an AP course.

The Coordinator takes primary responsibility for organizing and administering the AP program, doing things such as making sure exams are ordered on schedule and collecting fees. Many of them personally organize all aspects of the exam administrations. This encompasses many duties -- ensuring that exams are kept in secure storage before and after testing, carefully figuring out how many testing rooms will be needed, getting the necessary supplies (from calculators to tables and chairs), hiring and training proctors, and ensuring an optimal testing environment for two full weeks.

AP Coordinators also make sure that exams and fees are returned after the administration. Many make special arrangements in July and August to ensure that their school's AP Exam results and summaries are distributed. The AP Program recognizes all of the hard work that is involved with guiding a school's AP program and continually works to provide Coordinators with information and resources that will help them throughout this process.

AP Coordinators may view a webinar on managing the AP exam process.

Benefits of an AP Program

A steadily increasing number of parents, students, teachers, and school administrators are turning to AP as a model of educational excellence. Administrators say AP raises the bar for academic achievement in their schools, and they often see a diffusion of higher academic standards through the schools' entire curriculum. High schools that participate in AP set the pace in college preparation. Teachers benefit by participating in professional development workshops and Summer Institutes as well as from the opportunity to become "Readers" for the AP Exams.

Many AP teachers derive enormous satisfaction from working in greater depth with a group of motivated students, and they appreciate the open dialogue and exchange of ideas with the diverse members of the AP community, which includes college faculty, school administrators, and other high school teachers. Students, of course, benefit by participating in a challenging and rigorous educational experience for which they may gain credit or advanced placement when they attend college.

Support from AP

The AP Program plays a creative role as well as a facilitative one. As an intermediary among the participating institutions, the Program:

• Chooses college faculty and AP secondary teachers who develop college-level course descriptions and examinations, and facilitates this development process.
• Administers and scores examinations based on the learning goals described in the AP Course Descriptions.
• Sends grade reports to the students, their schools, and their designated colleges.
• Prepares publications, online materials, and other resources to supplement and support the Program's activities.
• Provides conferences, consultants, and curricular materials to help interested schools establish college-level courses.
• Assists schools and teachers in their efforts to prepare students through Pre-AP initiatives.
• Conducts research and strives to develop new services and products that enhance quality education.

Organizing the AP Program

The AP Program is open to any secondary school willing to:

• Organize one or more college-level courses that follow the AP Course Descriptions
• Administer the AP Exams
• Foster Teacher Professional Development
• Provide Access to AP Courses for All Students Who are Willing to Accept the Challenge of a Rigorous Academic Curriculum

There is no fee for a school to participate in AP. Schools near each other may form a multischool center to administer AP Examinations at a single location. Such a center requires only one AP Coordinator.

The AP Checklist

• Support Teacher Preparation Before and/or During the Academic Year
• Obtain a School Code (if the School Does Not Already Have One)
• Return the Participation Form and Teacher Listing to the AP Program (November 16)
• Order AP Exams (February-March)
• Administer AP Exams and Submit AP Studio Art Portfolios (May)
• Pay Fees (May)
• Receive AP Grade Reports (July)

Obtaining a School Code

The six-digit school code is a unique number assigned to a school, identifying it as an approved site to receive publications, administer exams, and receive students' exam grades. This number is shared by all three College Board Programs: AP, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT. If a school has already participated in any of these testing programs, it will already have a code. If school staff does not know whether their school has an active school code, they can check by calling AP Services at (609) 771-7300 or toll-free in the U.S. and Canada at (877) 274-6474.

Educational Testing Service (ETS) assigns these codes to schools that meet certain criteria. To receive a code, a High School Code Request Form must be completed. This form is available from ETS Code Control, P.O. Box 6666, Mail Stop 09-Q, Princeton, NJ 08543 U.S.A.; telephone (609) 771-7091; or fax (609) 771-7766.