Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Access To Tests topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students and families ask Montgomery board to restore AP Chinese testing seats at high school
Summary
Multiple students, parents and alumni urged the Montgomery Board of Education to restore Montgomery High School as an AP Chinese exam testing site, saying the change would reduce barriers for heritage learners and others studying outside the district; administrators said policy historically limited AP exams to courses the district teaches and asked for time to review the request.
Several students, alumni and parents asked the board on June 16 to restore Montgomery High School as a testing site for the AP Chinese Language and Culture exam, a service the community says the district previously offered but has not made available since the pandemic.
Speakers described barriers families face when students studying Chinese at weekend heritage schools or through family instruction must travel out of district to take the AP exam. A recent graduate described a College Board outage at an off‑site test center in 2023 that required makeup testing and additional travel. "Offering a testing seat does not diminish the value of taking a course before taking an AP exam," an alumna said, arguing that a local testing option recognizes students who have pursued proficiency outside the district's formal course offerings.
Parents and students said restoring an on‑site testing seat would improve access and equity for multilingual students and reduce logistical burdens. A rising high‑school freshman who studies Chinese and helps run a bilingual student publication said, "Bringing back AP Chinese testing would recognize that commitment and remove barriers for students who have invested years in the language."
District response: Superintendent Mlutz reminded the audience that the district's standing policy has been to offer AP exam administration for courses the district teaches, noting that policy choices were informed by a focus on alignment between instruction and testing. Administrators acknowledged they would review the community's request to understand whether operational or budgetary barriers exist for hosting seat(s) and indicated staff would report back after further review.
What’s next: Board members and administrators agreed to gather more information, including demand (how many Montgomery students would use a local seat), technical/testing logistics (proctoring and any required equipment), and cost or staffing needs. The district did not commit to immediate reinstatement on June 16 and emphasized the need for a data‑driven review.
Provenance: public comments on AP Chinese testing requests (topic intro SEG 3618; topic finish SEG 4202).
