AP students will lose a letter grade if they don't take exams

8-1 vote puts Forsyth's school board in line with state policy on transcripts

By: By Kim Underwood | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: September 09, 2009

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board voted last night to change its policy about students who take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses but don't take the exams.

From now on, if a student doesn't take the exam, the grade will be dropped a letter. An A will become a B, a B will become a C, and so on.

The board voted 8-1 to adopt the new policy in order to put the school system in compliance with state policy.

To differentiate levels of courses, quality points are added to grades in certain courses. For example, an A in a regular class is worth four points, an A in an honors class is worth five points, and an A in an AP or IB course is worth six points.

Previously, if a student took an AP course but didn't take the AP exam, the school system changed the advanced-placement credit to honors credit.

The school board established that policy in 2003 as a way to encourage students to take AP exams.

As part of its efforts to make transcripts consistent across the state, the State Board of Education recently told the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and other systems in the state that they can no longer do that.

However, the state board said that local systems could reduce the final grade by a letter.

"The net effect is the same," Superintendent Don Martin said.

As school-board member Buddy Collins, who voted against the change, said, though, it's not the same thing psychologically.

"I think there is a big difference," Collins said. "I like the policy the way we have it."

In explaining the need for the grading-policy change, Paul Puryear, the assistant superintendent for high schools, said he expected to hear from unhappy parents and students when an A was changed to a B, for example.

Martin said that not changing the policy wasn't an option but that board members could make other choices.

The purpose of the AP exam is to earn college credit. It doesn't have to be factored in for course credit.

It would be possible, Martin said, to change the policy so that a student not taking the exam wouldn't affect the grade.

Board members chose not to do that.

■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.