Days after a federal court ruling involving invalidated AP exam results at a San Diego-area high school, hundreds of students will retake the exams.
On Friday, a federal judge upheld a decision to invalidate the original exam results due to the proximity of desks in the exam room.
San Diego Unified School District filed a lawsuit against the College Board and Educational Testing Services on June 7, after the board invalidated Scripps Ranch test scores because of improper seating arrangements, according to a statement.
The ruling also prohibited the original test scores from being released.
On Monday, students taking the English Literature and U.S. History AP exams will begin the test.
College Board spokesperson Jaslee Carayo defended the College Board’s decision, stating colleges expect the integrity of the AP scores to be protected.
A test proctor filed an incident report with the College Board after one student was suspected of cheating at the school, which caused the College Board to launch an investigation.
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The investigation showed seats at Scripps Ranch High School were too close together while students were taking the exam, and partitions were separating the students.
Partitions are prohibited and there is a minimum distance required, according to the College Board’s seating rules.
SDUSD stated there was no real evidence of cheating but legally the agency has the right to invalidate test scores.
Families were notified of the College Board’s decision to invalidate test scores in June when students were already gone for summer vacation or working jobs and unable to make the retest dates.
“We were told where to sit, it was not our choice,” said Marissa Barnes, an incoming senior at Scripps Ranch High School. “Now because of that, we have to suffer.”
One recent Scripps Ranch HS graduate said the school and the San Diego Unified School District should be held responsible for their oversight.
Teachers are volunteering to offer review sessions for students.
SDUSD will provide free retests, with the first retest dates scheduled for July 17 through July 20, and more to follow in August.
More AP retest information is available on the Scripps Ranch High School website.
AP exams help high school students get credit for college courses which can save them thousands of dollars.
