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Board approves test cost waiver plan
The cost of taking certain advanced tests for some students at Clarke County High School could be waived or reduced under a plan approved Monday night by the School Board.On a 4-0 vote, with member Emily Rhodes (Buckmarsh District) absent, the board accepted a proposal by Acting Superintendent John Taylor to institute income eligibility guidelines to help students who want to take the Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate courses and tests.
The plan takes into consideration a family’s household size and annual income. It is based on criteria used to determine eligibility for free or reduced-cost lunches, with an additional 30 percent factored into those figures.
For example, a student in a family of four whose income does not exceed $34,898 could qualify to take the tests for free. And a student in a family of four whose income ranges between $34,899 and $49,663 could qualify to have the school system pay for half of the cost.
Students with extraordinary financial hardships whose families do not meet the criteria can appeal directly to the superintendent’s office for assistance and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, according to the plan.
The cost to register for an IB course, for example, is $123, with each test taken an additional $84, according to Taylor.
Because the school system cannot afford to pay for all testing, officials wanted to ensure that students who might need financial help were not denied the opportunity to take the advanced courses, Taylor said.
The county had previously paid the cost of the tests, school officials said.
School officials have estimated the plan could save the system approximately $101,000 in fiscal 2009, which begins July 1.
Board member Jennifer Welliver said some parents and students have voiced concern to her that students’ academic options could be limited if the school system does not pay the cost of tests such as the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).
“We want to provide other options for people who are on other life paths,” Welliver said, assuring that the IB and other advanced classes are not being eliminated. Instead, the board is trying to expand curriculum choices, she added.
Contact the reporter at rmarlow@timespapers.com
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