Grant to cover cost of some AP tests in Iowa

The Iowa Department of Education will receive about $102,000 in federal grant money to help cover the cost of college-level tests taken earlier this year by low-income Iowa students, the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday.

The money is part of $28.4 million in total grants for 38 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands. The grants are awarded under a federal program that covers part of the cost of Advanced Placement exams and other college-level tests taken by low-income high school students.

The Iowa Department of Education will use the grant to cover reimbursements it has paid out to about 50 school districts for the cost of the exams, said Staci Hupp, a department spokeswoman.

Among those districts are the Cedar Rapids Community School District, which was reimbursed about $11,500 by the state; the College Community School District, about $700; and the Iowa City Community School District, about $2,300, according to state data.

The money is expected to cover all but $12 of the cost of a test, according to a U.S. Department of Education news release. States can require students to pay some of the cost.

The fee for an AP test this past school year was $91. The program covered about 832,000 tests nationwide this past school year, or about 7 percent more than the year before, the federal department said.

Students who do well on Advanced Placement exams can earn college credit. The program is intended to increase opportunities after high school for low-income students and reduce the time and cost required to attend college, the department said.