Legislative Update

Two bills were heard by the Mass. Joint Committee on Higher Education recently that, if passed, would help students who score a 3 on their Advanced Placement (AP) exam receive college credit.  S. 762 and H. 1206, An Act Relative to Advanced Placement Examinations, co-sponsored by Senator Moore and Representative Brodeur, establish as state policy that a qualifying score of 3 or higher on an AP exam would count as college credit in any public college or university in Massachusetts.  The bills address a glaring inequity in how colleges award credit for AP scores across the state’s public institutions.

There is currently no system-wide policy for Massachusetts’ public colleges and universities that defines what AP exam scores will be accepted for college credit.  Decisions as to whether a student receives college credit for a qualifying score of 3, 4, or 5 is left up to individual campuses.  As a consequence, a student who scores a 3 on an AP exam may receive college credit at one state community college but not at another for the very same course.  That student may receive college credit at one state University or UMass campus but not another.  This is both confusing and unfair to students who work hard to achieve a qualifying score.  It also denies students and families the costs savings that result from doing well on the tough AP exams.

This month, we will be tweeting examples of how the current lack of a state policy affects Massachusetts students.  We hope you agree it is time to change this unfair practice and will join us in this cause.