Last May, many students took their AP tests. Out of that bunch, 328 were paid for their scores. According to The Madison Record, 328 students passed 515 tests and earned $51,500 in total. An incentive for taking AP classes and preparing hard for tests could very well be earning money.

Being paid for AP tests can motivate certain students to take AP classes, and those who are rewarded feel their hard work paid off. AP Literature teacher Mrs. Boggs says, “I think it is a wonderful way to encourage students to do their best and reward them for their success on what is a very demanding test.” Others say money is nice, but it isn’t the main motivation. Senior Crystal Ganatra remarks, “I guess it does provide a little more motivation to take an AP test, but I believe the chief motivation, to possibly receive college credit, still overrides that in the amount of motivation it provides.” Senior Kayla Carden counters, “It does motivate students to take tests; quite frankly, if I’d known which classes qualified for money, I would have changed my schedule around last year.”

A+ College Ready specifically offers $100 for a passing score on an exam, though many students may not have known that. “I think for many of the students last year it was a surprise and not well publicized, so I don’t know how much of an effect it had [in terms of motivation],” says AP Chemistry teacher Mr. Elegante. Of the students that knew, he concludes, “I think it definitely helps those last two weeks when studying and motivation are so important.”

A+ College Ready focuses on math, science, and English. Some feel that history has been slighted. Carden offers, “I feel quite disappointed by how social sciences are specifically singled out since I’m particularly interested in that area, and I know how interesting some AP classes are.” She adds, “Of course, math and science courses deserve to be heavily targeted towards kids, as much of our job market stems from areas related to math and science. In that respect, and in determining most kids for a future major that will get them a good career, I certainly can’t blame the program for pushing them so hard.” Carden concluded, “It does feel pretty great [to be paid for other courses].”

Students are free to spend the money as they like. Ganatra was asked how she spent her money, and she replied, “I’ve used the money to send test scores to a couple colleges. The bulk of the money spent will probably used for the same general reason, around applications and general college expenses.”

Bob Jones teachers prepare their students well for the AP tests. Mr. Elegante says, “We have a wealth of experience here and I feel that the students are well prepared. I know of some school systems where they would never get to the last 5 chapters even though those chapters were on the AP exam, and I feel bad for those students.” When asked how he personally prepared his students, he says, “I pace my class so that we will cover all the material in depth, have lots of practice with AP style tests, and still have time to review before the AP exam. [Overall] I think we do a great job.”

Taking AP classes can be rewarding, but students should know beforehand that those classes require more work than some are used to putting into a class. “The AP curriculum is meant to stretch the student’s abilities and put more of the responsibility on the student. Instead of being given copied notes, students should be reading and taking notes and then being ready in class to discuss, work, problem solve, etc. What score they make on the AP exam is ultimately up to them. Hard work pays off,” says Mr. Elegante.