On Exam Day Slide 1 On Exam Day Welcome AP coordinators. Thanks for joining this session of the 2018-19 AP Coordinator Tutorial. My name is Debra Cook, and I have been an AP coordinator for the past six years. If you re a new or inexperienced coordinator, these tutorials provide a description of the role and responsibilities of the AP coordinator. For experienced coordinators, these tutorials also provide important updates about the AP Program, and they feature best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy. Thanks again for joining this session. Let s get started. Slide 2 Security: Exam Storage After you receive the AP Exams, all materials must be checked for discrepancies within 24 hours of receipt. Exam materials must be kept in locked storage at all times. This includes after the exams are completed. Students and unauthorized staff should not have access to any areas where exams are stored. For those who may use off-site testing, exams may not be taken home, stored in cars, or stored at any off-site location. Students are not permitted to help transport or organize any secure exam materials. If exam materials include CDs, be sure the storage area has low humidity and a temperature of about 70 F. Also, avoid magnetic fields produced by electric motors or other equipment.
Slide 3 Security: Exam Content Teachers are not allowed access to test content or completed exams. Teachers cannot make photocopies of the exams. Regarding Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Content: No one, at any time, other than the student during the exam, is allowed access to the multiplechoice or short-answer sections of an exam. Multiple-choice and short-answer sections can never be shared or copied in any manner. Multiple-choice and short-answer sections cannot be reconstructed by teachers or students after the exam. Regarding Free-Response Content: Students and educators may discuss the specific free-response content only if it is released on the College Board website two days after the exam administration. Not all free-response content is released. If free-response content is not released, it cannot be discussed. Slide 4 Security: Exam Room The coordinator or designated proctor must be present at all times in every room where exams are being administered, including during breaks. Students and exam materials must never be left unattended. Please carefully review the list of prohibited devices on this slide. This list has been updated for 2018-19. Electronic equipment (including phones, smartwatches, or wearable technology of any kind, laptops, tablet computers, Bluetooth devices, portable listening or recording devices--like MP3 players or ipods--cameras or other photographic equipment, devices that can access the internet, separate timers of any type, and any other electronic or communication devices) are all prohibited in the exam room and break area. If a student is observed with any of these devices during testing or during breaks, the student may be dismissed from the exam room and the device may be confiscated. Please see the AP Coordinator s Manual for more information.
Slide 5 Security: Exam Room (cont d.) If a student uses a phone during the exam, the student s score will be canceled, and no retest will be permitted. Any computers, laptops, or recording devices must be school owned and controlled, must remain at the school at all times, and must not be assigned or issued to individual students. These devices are only allowed for the world language and culture exams, the Music Theory Exams, or for students with approved accommodations. Slide 6 Security: Exam Room (cont d.) No photos may be taken in the exam room during an exam by anyone, including, but not limited to, the AP coordinator, the proctor, school staff, members of the media, and students. Remind proctors that during the exam they re not permitted to eat, drink, use a mobile device, engage in conversation not related to proctoring, correct papers, or perform any activity not related to the exam administration. Slide 7 Security: During or After the Exams If a student posts to any form of social media during the exam, the student s scores will be canceled. No retest will be permitted. If a student posts information about unreleased exam content after the exam, the student s scores will be canceled. Again, no retest will be permitted. Schools that violate security policies will not be permitted to administer AP Exams in the future. In addition, schools may be held responsible for any damages or losses the College Board and ETS may incur in the event of a security breach. Immediately report any incident or breach in test security to the Office of Testing Integrity. Slide 8 Security: During or After Exams (cont d.) When the College Board determines that a student s testing experience did not meet the College Board s standards for administering exams even through no fault of the student the College Board reserves the right to cancel an AP Exam score. Additional information about exam security is available in the AP Coordinator s Manual and in the Bulletin for AP Students and Parents.
Slide 9 No Borrowing or Lending of Exams Schools are not permitted to borrow or lend exams. Schools that borrow exams run the risk of administrative errors that could result in retesting. Please contact AP Services if for some reason you do not have enough exams. Slide 10 Seating Requirements Students must be spaced a minimum of 5 feet from other students, except during the scrambled format exams. That distance is measured from the center of the student to the center of the next student. If the testing room has elevated seating, seat students no less than 5 feet behind one another. Students must face the same direction. Assign seats randomly.
Slide 11 Scrambled Multiple-Choice Sections The AP Program provides schools in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with scrambled multiple-choice sections for Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and U.S. History Exams. This is only during the regular-testing window. Scrambling the multiple-choice section reduces the risks of students copying from one another. This allows schools to seat students no less than 4 feet apart. If needed, this enables schools to test more students in fewer testing rooms. Students taking Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and U.S. History Exams during the late-testing period must be seated no less than 5 feet apart. The late-testing version of these exams does not have scrambled Multiple-Choice sections. When ordering these exams, schools automatically receive an equal amount of the scrambled versions. So, if the order is for 100 U.S. History Exams, the school receives 50 of Version Q and 50 of Version R, packaged in alternating order. If using the reduced space of 4 feet between students, distribute the exams in alternating order (Q-R-Q-R). Otherwise, there s 4-foot spacing and students with the same version of the exam right next to each other. That is not permitted. There is a diagram in the AP Coordinator s Manual that specifically covers how to distribute these exams. Slide 12 Seating Students: Approved This slide shows examples of approved seating plans. To begin, look at Plan 1. This is an approved seating plan for elevated seating. Students are spaced 5 feet apart side to side, as well as 5 feet apart front to back, with one row of empty seats dividing students. Plan 2A is an approved seating plan for level seating. Students are spaced 5 feet apart side to side. They are seated directly next to each other with no empty desks between them. There is still the minimum of 5 feet of distance.
Plan 2B is also for level seating and is also approved. Students are seated 5 feet apart. However, in this example, the students also have an empty desk between them. Regardless of whether there is an empty desk or not, there must always be a minimum distance of 5 feet. Plan 3 is an example of an approved seating plan using tables. In this example, the school is using a large testing table with multiple students seated at the same table. This is permissible, as long as the students are seated a minimum of 5 feet apart. Tables of different sizes may also be used as long as the students are always separated by a minimum distance of 5 feet. Please note that the table must be at least 8-feet long to accommodate two students. And the table must be at least 13-feet long to accommodate three students.
Slide 13 Seating Students: Not Approved This slide shows examples of prohibited plans. These seating arrangements are not approved. The illustration on the left shows students seated at the same large square table. The students in this example are not facing the same direction. Under no circumstances is this approved. The middle illustration shows a student seated at a round table. Round tables may not be used for testing. This is true even if it s only one student per table. The illustration on the right shows students sitting at individual desks. Students are not allowed to face each other. Regardless of distance or type of desk or table used, students must all face the same direction. Slide 14 Mandatory Seating Charts All schools must complete a seating chart for every AP Exam session and location. Schools must keep the seating charts for at least 6 months. Some states and districts require schools to keep seating charts longer. Do not return the seating charts with the exam shipment unless there is an Incident Report or investigation that requires them. This seating chart policy was prompted by several large-scale AP Exam seating violations. Sadly, these violations resulted in hundreds of high school students having their AP Exam scores canceled. Seating charts help to expedite the investigation and resolution of a reported incident. A sample seating chart is provided in the AP Coordinator s Manual. Schools may also create their own version. Either the 11-digit serial number of the exam or student s full names are required on the seating chart.
Slide 15 Preparing Exam Rooms Coordinators should attempt to provide the best possible testing environment for students. If the testing is done off-site, check in advance to be sure the room is appropriately set up. Also consider lighting, ventilation, and how quiet the location is. Make sure a working clock is visible to all students in the exam room. The walls must be free of subject-related information that could be used to gain an unfair advantage. Slide 16 Administration Incidents An administration incident is any disturbance or circumstance that potentially affects student performance on an AP Exam. Some examples are exam interruption or student misconduct. There could also be an equipment problem, student illness, or power outage. Sometimes it can be serious, such as a school-wide emergency. Other times, it can be something administrative like a problem with exam materials or improper seating. Check the AP Coordinator s Manual to determine whether an Incident Report form needs to be completed.
Slide 17 Incident Report Form The Incident Report (IR) must be completed by both the coordinator and proctor. The exams, answer sheets, and IR form should all be submitted in the IR envelope as part of the return shipment. You may have an incident impacting a single student, or you may have a group incident impacting two or more students. Most of the time, you can complete one form for an entire group if they are all impacted in the same manner. An IR must be completed for any student using extra paper during the Free-Response section of the exam. Schools receive IR forms in the coordinator packets sent with the exam shipment. In the event schools run out of the actual forms, complete the IR using a photocopy of a blank form and return it. However, this may delay processing of the IR. As a best practice, keep a copy of any completed IR form. Do not make a copy of the exam materials or the answer sheets. Slide 18 End of presentation Thank you for joining this session of the AP Coordinator Tutorial. This is just one of several tutorial sessions available to you. For more information about the AP Program and the AP coordinator role, please watch the other tutorial sessions. As the AP coordinator, your organization, security, and commitment to providing a great testing environment for your students is tremendously important. Thank you for making a difference!