The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of more than $28.8 million in grants to 42 states to cover a portion of the fees charged to low-income students for taking advanced placement (AP) tests.
Based on the anticipated number of test-takers and other factors, the grants under the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program are expected to be sufficient to pay all but $10 of the cost of each advanced placement exam taken by low-income students. States may opt to require students to pay a portion of the costs.
“This Administration has taken unprecedented steps to boost college- and career readiness for our young people, especially first-generation college goers,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “Participation in Advanced Placement courses gives these students a jump start in college by challenging them to develop stronger study and critical-thinking skills. These grants will eliminate some financial roadblocks and enable more minority students to gain access to rigorous AP courses, which will help them succeed in today’s knowledge economy.”
By subsidizing test fees for low-income students, the program is intended to encourage those students to take AP tests and obtain college credit for high school courses, reducing the time and cost required to complete a postsecondary degree.
The grants can be used to help pay for low-income students taking approved AP tests administered by the College Board, theInternational Baccalaureate Organization and CambridgeInternational Examinations. Levels of funding per state were determined on the basis of state estimates of the numbers of tests that would be taken by low-income students. Following is a list of the grant recipients.
The Advanced Placement Test Fee grants program is administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. For additional information on the program and these new awards, visit http://www2.ed.gov/programs/apfee/index.html.
Below is the list of 2013 Discretionary Grants for the Advanced Placement Test Fee Program:
|
State |
Applicant |
Amount |
|
AK |
State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development |
$13,235 |
|
AL |
Alabama Department of Education |
$252,130 |
|
AZ |
Arizona Department of Education |
$701,728 |
|
CA |
California Department of Education |
$10,757,186 |
|
CO |
Colorado Department of Education |
$701,150 |
|
CT |
Connecticut State Department of Education |
$334,680 |
|
DC |
Office of the State Superintendent of Education |
$42,000 |
|
DE |
Delaware Department of Education |
$60,750 |
|
HI |
Hawaii State Department of Education |
$99,330 |
|
IA |
Iowa Department of Education |
$59,175 |
|
ID |
Idaho State Department of Education |
$76,500 |
|
IL |
Illinois State Board of Education |
$2,191,745 |
|
IN |
Indiana Department of Education |
$471,134 |
|
KS |
Kansas State Department of Education |
$99,000 |
|
KY |
Kentucky Department of Education |
$473,640 |
|
LA |
Louisiana Department of Education |
$158,085 |
|
MA |
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education |
$525,874 |
|
MD |
Maryland State Department of Education |
$709,357 |
|
ME |
State of Maine, Department of Education |
$80,415 |
|
MI |
Michigan Department of Education |
$497,000 |
|
MO |
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education |
$169,015 |
|
MS |
Mississippi Department of Education |
$191,233 |
|
MT |
Montana Office of Public Instruction |
$44,452 |
|
NC |
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction |
$882,011 |
|
NE |
Nebraska Department of Education |
$45,000 |
|
NH |
New Hampshire Department of Education |
$23,055 |
|
NJ |
New Jersey Department of Education |
$565,335 |
|
NM |
New Mexico Public Education Department |
$144,500 |
|
NV |
Nevada Department of Education |
$335,683 |
|
NY |
New York State Education Department |
$2,807,665 |
|
OH |
Ohio Department of Education |
$327,846 |
|
OR |
Oregon Department of Education |
$381,510 |
|
PA |
Pennsylvania Department of Education |
$610,970 |
|
RI |
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, |
$92,205 |
|
SD |
South Dakota Department of Education |
$22,500 |
|
TN |
State of Tennessee |
$344,613 |
|
TX |
Texas Education Agency |
$2,364,204 |
|
VA |
Virginia Department of Education |
$401,947 |
|
VI |
Virgin Islands Department of Education |
$17,955 |
|
VT |
Vermont Agency of Education |
$26,100 |
|
WA |
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction |
$694,658 |
|
WV |
West Virginia Department of Education |
$93,600 |
|
|
Totals |
$28,890,171 |
