Funding Cuts Could Limit Poor Students' Access To AP, IB Exams

The New York Times (3/17, Lewin, Subscription Publication) reports that in approving Federal budget legislation last December, Congress eliminated "financing for programs that offer advanced high school courses to slightly under $27 million, from $43 million the previous year," noting that only $20 million will go toward subsidizing low-income students' AP exam fees. "So, in recent weeks, state education officials have been notifying high schools that low-income students, who have for decades been eligible for fee waivers, will have to pay $15 for each of the first three exams they take, and $53 per exam for any beyond that." Moreover, "the cuts hit even harder for students in the International Baccalaureate program, which also offers college-level work."