| TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED: SUBJECT: Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Incentive Program - Funded Components for School Year 2002-03 The Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) Incentive Program was enacted to emphasize high academic performance. The Incentive Program has given access to AP/IB to over 98% of Texas students. Over the past eight years the number of students who participate in AP and IB has more than doubled to over 70,000. In 2002, over 128,000 exams were taken by Texas public school students. The number of examinations taken by students with financial need increased from less than 3,000 in 1994 to over 20,000 in 2002. This growth is due to additional state funding and to the commitment of Texas educators and students who strive to meet the demands offered by challenging academic programs. Because of the increased funding allocated to AP/IB by the 77th Texas Legislature, 2001, the agency was able to fund more components of the AP/IB program last school year. Those same components will be funded in the 2002-2003 school year and are listed below. Additional information on each of the components will be sent to districts throughout the year and also will be posted on the agency’s web page at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/gted. • The agency will assume $30 of the cost of every AP/IB examination taken by eligible Texas high school students. This means that rather than charging Texas students $80 for an AP examination, College Board will charge Texas students $50 per examination. International Baccalaureate examinations cost $53, and will be covered in the program as well, with the cost of an examination being no more than $23. To be eligible for this component, students must have taken a PEIMS-designated AP/IB course or be recommended by their principal to take the exam. As a reminder, the Texas Education Agency pays the College Board and International Baccalaureate directly for the $30 per examination fee reduction. This money should not be collected from the student. • Students with financial need will receive further federal and state fee reductions. Students who meet the College Board criteria for financial need are eligible for further AP exam fee reductions. In the case of the AP examinations, students with financial need will receive a $22 reduction from College Board and the $8 administrative fee is waived. TEA will pay an additional $15 for each exam taken by a student who qualifies for the College Board fee reduction. This waiver, plus the $30 reduction on all Texas examinations and the $22 College Board fee reduction, means that students who are eligible for the additional fee waivers will pay $5 per AP examination taken. This same amount is charged to students with financial need who take an IB examination. • Teacher training stipends of up to $450 will be available for high school teachers in grades 9-12 for AP/IB approved workshops. As in the past, AP five-day summer institutes and IB teacher training workshops and summer programs will be reimbursed up to $450 for tuition and per diem, the only requirement is for the teacher to teach an AP/IB or Pre-AP/IB course the following school year. The summer institute must be one that is approved by the Southwestern Regional Office of the College Board. • Campuses will receive recognition for high student performance. To recognize the added efforts campuses must make to offer successful advanced level courses, the AP/IB legislation awards campuses a financial bonus for each student who scores three and above on the AP examination or four and above on an IB examination. Last year each campus received $100 per student who scored successfully on one or more AP/IB exams. In 2002 high school campuses were awarded $3.5 million. We anticipate being able to award the same amount per student during the 2002-2003 school year. The commitment to educational excellence by Texas educators and students is evident in the growth and success of the AP/IB Program and we hope that the funding of these components strengthens programs even further. Should you like more information on the program and the funded components, please visit the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/gted or call the Division of Advanced Academic Services at 512/463-9455. Sincerely, Paul Cruz, Ph.D. |