Staats votes against students getting fair shot for AP credit they have earned

On Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans* in the PA State House joined together to pass a bill giving all students fair access to credit for Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Succeeding in one of these challenging courses is worth college credit, but only if a student takes and passes an AP test at the end of the course. Students, or their families, must pay out of pocket for these tests. For those without financial means, students often miss out on the opportunity for college credit just because they can't pay for the test. And it's a frustrating double whammy for these students, because AP credits can increase scholarship money they receive from colleges. The house bill that passed this week, with large bipartisan support, covers 80% of the costs of AP tests. For the first time, all students who have earned the opportunity will get the opportunity to take AP tests. Our current representative, Craig Staats*, voted against this bill. He represents students and families in Quakertown, Palisades and Pennridge school districts, but does not support all students getting a fair shot at the AP credit they have worked for and certainly deserve. I worked for many years at Penn State as a faculty member and student adviser. I know first hand the difference AP test results can make in a student's life and future prospects. I would have certainly voted for this bill, HB1875, supporting our students and their families.     *Staats did not.