As AP exams began last week, Galileo’s administration has enforced testing policies more strongly, and has cracked down more on students and staff to stay on track with the College Board testing requirements and procedures. This includes stricter attendance rules, check-in procedures, ID requirements, and more. These new measures have been implemented with the motive to maintain the confidentiality of exam content and the overall test integrity.
According to lead proctor Ms. Partridge, these changes have happened to make testing more strict because of incidents of cheating that have occurred in other schools across the country last year, so changes to policies are all for security reasons. She shares that there needs to be a ratio of students to proctors, which is around 32:1 right now, to ensure that no cheating happens.
According to a majority of juniors and seniors that took AP exams last school year, there was more leniency towards students that arrived later than the set time, and they were still permitted to take the exam. However this year, if students are late, they will have to make up for the exam at a later date near the end of the school year. “In the past with paper tests, kids could start late, but with the digital tests, the proctor has to start everyone at the same time. The College Board would know when we start with the digital records,” said Mr. Chinn, who has proctored for exams before in past years.
Student IDs, government issued IDs, drivers’ licenses, passports, or other forms of personal identification are required to enter the testing vicinity or else they will not be able to test, and this has been enforced strongly throughout AP exam season. In addition, phones, smartwatches, or other unauthorized devices are not permitted in the designated exam area, even if it is inside a backpack and powered off. If they are found, the entire room’s exam is at risk of being cancelled, not just the person with the phone. “I feel like the proctors have definitely gotten stricter and more serious this year. Teachers have been emphasizing showing up on time a lot more as the utmost important thing and not being able to bring certain things into the testing area,” says Junior Gavin G. who has taken 4 AP exams.
Bags and backpacks have to be placed in a check-in room with no access to them until the exam is over, in comparison to last year where students were permitted to leave their backpacks lined up at the front of the gym. Snacks and water bottles need to be placed on a designated table near the front of the exam room. When students need to use the restroom during testing time, a proctor is required to escort the student to the restroom and wait for them there.
As Ms. Partridge is a new proctor this year AND the leader of all the proctors, she shares that “It is an extremely stressful experience because if students are caught cheating, everyone’s test can get cancelled, even if there is only one person that decides to cheat. But, I do admit that it is a nice brain break from dealing with teacher things.”
In addition to these new testing policies, AP exams can only take place in the Van Ness Gym and Dance Studio, instead of also the Big & Small Bay Gym due to the construction of the bleachers happening.
