Over the past few months at BVH, there have been conversations regarding the 2024 Advanced Placement (AP) tests becoming digital. According to the AP and International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator Jared Phelps, he was aware of the tests becoming digital for a few months before the official exams. However, the only test that will be taken digitally at BVH is the AP African American Studies as it was not the time for other classes to be taken digitally.
“The AP College Board decided this year one exam [that will be taken digitally] will be a pilot exam. The exam is the AP African American Studies and because it’s a new exam they had made it the get-go for the digital exams. All of the students who are taking that AP test will take it digitally,” Phelps said.
As the AP exams are becoming digital, AP African American Studies teacher Don Dumas believes that the transition will not affect the exams. However, he mentions that there are no benefits in taking the test online this year, unless a student is planning on taking a digital exam next year.
“The exam is a pilot course, so students who take it are not going to get college credit for it, so there is not a lot of value in the test and taking it digitally this year other than practicing for taking tests online. It’s good for juniors that are in the class that plan to take another online AP test next year and gain experience on another online test,” Dumas said.
When Phelps was informed about the changes, he was quick to respond on whether or not BVH would transition into digital exams. However, not all AP teachers were directly informed about this from the College Board—an organization allowing students to partake in various educational programs like the AP Program—but rather through the internet and their colleagues. According to IB English Literature 1 and English 9 teacher Nikki Monfredo, the news did not come across as shocking to her, because she knew changes would eventually occur.
“I read about it online when the news broke at the beginning of the year; although, it was already being discussed [about digital exams]. It was not a surprise, but other AP English teachers were discussing the changes and I heard about it from them as well,” Monfredo said.
Although the College Board made it mandatory for the AP African American Studies exam to be taken digitally, they provided schools the opportunity for the AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP World History, AP U.S History and AP Computer Science Principle exams to be taken digitally. With more options of digital testing being available to schools, Phelps states that it would be beneficial for BVH students to take their exams digitally, as he believed it would reduce stress levels.
“This year the AP College Board allowed certain schools if they wanted five additional exams to be digital on top of the AP African American Studies. I went back and talked about this back in January and said that it was right for [BVH] to have our students take the tests digitally,” Phelps said.
Similar to Phelps, Monfredo also finds advantages in taking the exams digitally. For instance, she explains that not only is it less stressful, but more convenient for students to prepare for their exams. She further elaborates that it would be more efficient for test graders to read and grade these.
“Because students are used to typing now, it will be easier for the students to write three essays without hand cramping and the stress of writing quickly. They will also be able to edit and it won’t leave the reader confused with crossed out lines or arrows. It will be easier for the reader to score and students will have access to spell check and grammar corrections,” Monfredo said.
However, advantages come with some disadvantages. Monfredo also believes that when taking the AP tests, technological issues may occur—taking time away from the test. However, as AP exams are up close, teachers have already set plans for their tests to be taken on paper.
“There can be computer issues, no battery, log in troubles, internet and power outages. In addition, practice will need to include more typing essays and students will be more tempted to use tools like Artificial Intelligence. I also think creativity flows better from a brain to a pen, but change can be difficult to accept at first,” Monfredo said.
Thoughts on the AP digital exams differ from students and teachers. According to Dumas, the AP tests put unnecessary pressure on students in the first place. He believes that the exams are money grabs for the College Board. As a result, he does not plan on changing the way he teaches, but will support his students who plan on taking it.
“I have no problem with it being online, I’m sure all the tests will eventually be that way, but there’s a lot of problems with the AP testing that teachers like myself have a lot of problems with. We feel that it is a money grab because these kids are paying over 100 dollars for tests. I think it puts unwanted pressure on kids and I am not a fan of the test,” Dumas said.
Similarly, Phelps has his own thoughts on the AP digital exams , the input that he has received from students is nothing but positive. He has been told it is easier for the students to type than write, giving them more time to focus on the exam.
“I think that the tests are a positive thing because students don’t have to bubble anything in the beginning of the exam because there is no paper to do it on. All they would need to do is login on their College Board account and do their test. It also means that the times are better kept for it because everyone gets a timer saying window and it tells you when you have a break,” Phelps said.
