Despite the pandemic, AP teachers are getting their students ready for AP exams in May.

English teacher Mrs. Kimberly Carver serves as the school’s AP director and has faced challenges in the midst of Covid-19 in order to keep the exams available and administered as safely as possible.

The exam dates have stayed the same as originally scheduled, beginning on May 3 and ending May 17. These exams will take place Monday through Friday. Carver and the school’s AP teachers have taken many precautions to ensure that students are performing well while staying safe. The sign ups for the AP exam took place in the fall, so at this point all students who will take an AP exam in May have registered to do so.

Carver said, “We have lost some (instructional) time, just because we had to revise the schedule, (so) we have to do things a little differently. The eLearning is never as good as the in person learning, so there are some concerns that maybe we are not at the same level that we would be at this point at a normal year, but I feel very confident that AP is going to recognize that. We actually probably are in better shape than most schools.”

For scheduling testing locations on campus, Carver has encountered some challenges. Since Covid will make it more difficult to socially distance, there were three options: paper/pencil on campus, online while on campus, or fully online at home. The administration decided to opt for the paper/pencil option because it duplicates the most typical testing situation and has found locations that will allow students to spread out. If need be, testing even can take place at Laurel Hall and Brunette Park.

In the past, retired teachers would proctor the AP exams. Since they could be high risk, this year it will most likely be current teachers or school staff. Carver said these retired teachers might be reluctant to sit in a classroom for a long time with a large number of students.

Carver said recognizes what AP students and their teachers have had to overcome up to this point with just a few weeks left before exams begin in May. She said, “I’m really proud of our AP program (and) the fact that we are pushing through so many obstacles in a year that has been crazy, and we still have faith that our kids are going to go in and do their best work.”