Officials at the College Board say they are ready to adjust testing schedules for the Advanced Placement tests in case local school officials decide to close their facilities because of the outbreak of H1N1, otherwise known as the Swine Flu.
As of this afternoon, about 300 schools around the country had closed out of concerns that the virus may spread. (See Ed Week’s full coverage on the issue here. UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Education reported later today that 433 schools had closed, affecting 245,000 children in 17 states.)
Officials at the College Board, which sponsors the AP, are encouraging students and parents to speak directly with the local AP coordinator to see if the testing will go forward. Advanced Placement tests were slated around the country for the coming week and the one after that.
For schools that postpone their tests, the College Board schedules a series of makeup exams for the third week of May, said Megan Dearing, a spokeswoman for the New York City-based nonprofit. If those makeup AP exams don’t go forward, even later makeup tests can be arranged through the local school, Dearing told my colleague, Jen Neidenberg, from Ed Week’s Web team, in an e-mail during an online chat today.
“The AP exam administration is designed and prepared for unforeseen school closings and other emergencies,” Dearing explained. “The College Board will assist in whatever way possible to ensure that students affected by this matter have the opportunity to take their AP exams.”
AP tests are given on school grounds. You can see which AP tests, by subject, were scheduled to be given on which dates, here.
Schools can contact their local AP coordinators at a College Board-run hotline, at: 877-274-6474, or by e-mail at apexams@info.collegeboard.org.