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Dear Parents/Guardians of Students taking Advanced Placement (AP) Courses:
As part of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) FY 2018 Approved Budget, FCPS adopted new fees for high school students: Advanced Placement (AP) test fees. AP test fees will remain in effect for the 2018-2019 school year. Students who qualify for the free and reduced-price meals program and have submitted the consent to share their free and reduced-price status will not be charged for these fees. These forms can be found on the Food and Nutrition Services, Free and Reduced-Price Meals web page. The payment of student fees is the responsibility of parents and guardians. However, for students and families who are undergoing economic hardships and are financially unable to pay the stated student fees, assistance is available as noted in the current version of Regulation 2135, Assistance to Students. Please contact your child’s counselor to inquire about fee assistance due to hardship.
Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fees:
- The fees for the first six AP tests taken by each student for courses in which they are also enrolled for high school credit will be paid by FCPS.
- To determine if a student has used his/her six paid tests, the cumulative number of AP tests (including IB tests taken at another FCPS school) over a student’s time in FCPS is counted, including all exams taken prior to the current school year.
- Students who choose to take one or more AP/IB tests beyond the six FCPS-funded tests will be charged a fee of $93 per AP test which will be billed in April 2019
- Students taking one or more AP tests without enrolling in the corresponding course will be responsible for the test fee(s):
- These test(s) will not count towards their six FCPS-funded tests.
- The billing for these test(s) will be a separate billing process from students enrolled in AP/IB courses.
- While FCPS encourages all students to take AP tests for courses in which they are enrolled, students will have the opportunity to opt out of the test(s) by filling out an opt-out form which will be provided directly to students after Winter Break. To assist in the decision-making process, students will be provided a report with cumulative AP test history and current AP course enrollment.Fee Payment:
- The online payment service, MySchoolBucks, is the same portal that many parents and guardians currently use to pay for school meals, providing them a convenient, efficient, flexible and secure way to pay for school-related purchases and fees. Fees will be available for payment starting April 2, 2019.
- Parents and guardians currently enrolled in MySchoolBucks will receive an email notification information them of a bill for the AP test fees for their respective child(ren). Note that each test fee is sent as a separate invoice with a unique invoice number.
- Parents and guardians not enrolled in MySchoolBucks will receive an email with instructions on enrolling in MySchoolsBucks.
- Parents and guardians will be billed in April 2019.
- Students who qualify for the free and reduced-price meals program and have submitted the consent to share their free and reduced-priced status will not be charged for these fees in accordance with their waiver selections on the fee consent form. These forms can be found on the Food and Nutrition Services, Free and Reduced-Price Meals web page. These students’ fees will automatically be waived and will not display in MySchoolBucks.Please take the time over Winter Break to discuss with your child whether he/she would like to commit to taking the AP test for each of his/her AP courses or not. Please look for the opt-out form and cumulative AP test history to come home with your child on January 11. All opt-out forms will be due on January 24. Please be aware that after January 24, your child may not opt out of testing and will be charged all applicable fees, including a returned test fee if he/she does not sit for the exam.
Dates to Remember:
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January 11 – AP Test History & Opt-Out Form given to students
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January 24 – If opt-out is desired, the form must be submitted to Ms. Hall in Student Services by this Jan 24. No action is necessary if your child plans to the AP exams for the AP courses he/she is enrolled in.
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January 30 – Students and families will receive confirmation if they have opted out of one or more AP exams
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April 2 – MySchoolBucks payment portal opens for the payment of AP testing fees (Payments will not be accepted prior to this time. Cash and checks are not accepted payment methods.)
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May 6-17 – AP Exams are given
Please contact Emily Gregory at ehgregory@fcps.edu if you have questions regarding the opt-out procedure.
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