About 20 percent of the Advanced Placement (AP) exams taken in the Rowan-Salisbury School System during the 2011-12 academic year were covered by grant dollars.
Kathy McDuffie, the district’s director of secondary education, said the district received $12,879 to cover expenses for 243 exams. A total of 1,229 exams were administered.
“It does affect students’ ability to take the courses when you think about what X amount of dollars means for a family who is struggling,” McDuffie said.
Students who take AP classes are required to take the exam, which typically costs $87. The exam gives them a chance to earn college credits.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced today that it has received a grant through the federal Advanced Placement Test Fee Program to cover the cost $800,000 worth of fees for low-income students.
The grant has been distributed to the state since 2003, but McDuffie said last year was the first time Rowan-Salisbury had received such funds.
Read more in Friday’s Post.